Sylvon S. Robinson was a 27-year-old Black man from Cleveland, Ohio. He was remembered as being loved by a host of family and friends, who gathered for a celebration of his life on June 13, 2024, at Lucas Memorial Chapel.
In the pre-dawn hours of June 1, 2024, a gunshot detection system alerted Cleveland police to gunfire. Officers responded at approximately 2:47 a.m. to the 10900 block of Prince Avenue, where they discovered two men who had been shot inside a stolen car.
One of the men was Sylvon Robinson, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The second victim, Bralon Lee Shepherd, a 26-year-old from Garfield Heights, was transported by emergency medical services to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit immediately launched an investigation into the double homicide.
On October 18, 2024, the case saw a significant development when U.S. Marshals arrested a suspect. Aric Ward, who was 27 at the time of his trial, was apprehended and subsequently charged with two counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Robinson and Shepherd.
The case against Ward proceeded to the courts. In July 2025, a jury trial began in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, with Judge Steven Gall presiding over the proceedings. The case was in litigation as of July 2025.
