Leonzo Washington, 34, a male who was Black/African American, was found dead on June 17, 2025, in a parking lot at West 65th Street and Lawn Avenue on Cleveland’s West Side, directly across from St. Colman Catholic Church. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified Leonzo Washington, 34, and authorities immediately classified the case as a suspected homicide.
When local reporters arrived, a vehicle in the lot was riddled with bullet holes as police cordoned off the scene and sought witnesses.
As night settled over the neighborhood, detectives traced the outlines of the violence from the pocked car to the expanse of asphalt where Leonzo Washington, 34, lay, while parish grounds across the street—well known to locals on West 65th—stood in stark, quiet contrast. The church’s lot and surrounding streets formed the stage for a swift, chaotic burst of gunfire that left Leonzo Washington, 34, dead and another person wounded, according to incident logs noting two victims with one deceased and a second shot in the arm and back around 8:20 p.m.
By the next day, the Medical Examiner’s confirmation set the public record in motion as friends and strangers began to leave digital candles and messages in remembrance of Leonzo Washington, 34, while investigators emphasized the active nature of the inquiry. Early accounts from the scene and the medical examiner’s office underscored that Leonzo Washington, 34, had been targeted in a shooting, with the car’s bullet damage pointing to a barrage rather than a single shot.
Authorities did not announce any arrests, and no suspect or suspects were publicly identified in the immediate aftermath. Reporting in the days that followed continued to describe the death of Leonzo Washington, 34, as an open homicide investigation with detectives seeking leads, but without a named person of interest.
