David Perez, a 57-year-old Hispanic man from Garfield Heights, Ohio, was a cherished husband and son. On the evening of April 28, 2024, he and his wife, Jackie Perez, were driving home in their pickup truck after leaving a party. As they traveled on Interstate 77 in Cuyahoga Heights, another motorist began following them from Newburgh Heights.
At approximately 9:25 p.m., the other driver, operating an Audi, sped up alongside the couple’s truck near Grant Avenue and fired multiple
rounds into the vehicle. A 911 caller reported seeing a truck weaving on the highway with bullet holes in its window. Both David and Jackie were struck by the gunfire. They were transported to a local hospital, where David was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Jackie, then 59, was treated for her injuries and later released.
The shooting prompted the closure of a section of I-77 as police investigated the scene. A search for the suspect began, and at around 10:50 p.m. that same night, officers with the Bratenahl Village police spotted the suspect’s vehicle on Interstate 90. They conducted a traffic stop and arrested Ian Rich, then 29, of Newburgh Heights, without incident.
Investigators soon learned that Rich lived next door to David Perez’s parents, Ted and Sally Perez. According to police records, the Newburgh Heights Police Department had an “extensive history” with Rich, including more than a dozen responses to his home for bizarre and unsettling behavior. He had previously threatened his neighbors, David's parents, and was described by investigators as experiencing paranoia about them. In the months before the shooting, police had multiple interactions with Rich regarding his mental health and had taken him for court-ordered evaluations, but he had been released.
Rich was charged in connection with the shooting, and a judge set his bond at $1 million. In May 2025, Ian Rich, then 30, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, attempted murder, and discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premise.
On June 5, 2025, Judge Kevin Kelly sentenced Ian Rich to a prison term of 40 to 45.5 years. During the sentencing, Jackie Perez spoke of her husband, calling him “the love of my life.” David’s mother, Sally Perez, also addressed the court, stating, “My heart as a mother will never heal.” The case was officially closed with the sentencing in June 2025.
