On July 2, 2023, the life of Tireese Martin-Croom, a 17-year-old Black male, was cut short by gunfire in Cleveland, Ohio. In the early morning hours, around 12:30 a.m., Tireese was in the driver's seat of a Kia Forte with two other teenagers in the city’s Collinwood Nottingham neighborhood.
As they drove near St. Clair Avenue, a dark-colored SUV approached their car. An occupant of the SUV opened fire on the Kia before the vehicle sped away from the scene. When Cleveland police officers arrived, they found two 16-year-old boys lying in the street with gunshot wounds. One had been shot in the hand and arm, and the other was shot in the face. Both were transported to a local hospital and survived their injuries.
Officers found Tireese inside the Kia, where he had been fatally wounded. First aid was rendered, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
During their investigation, police noted that they found multiple firearms inside the Kia Forte.
The investigation led to the identification of a suspect, Camren Drewery, a 20-year-old former St. Edward High School graduate who had a full-ride scholarship to play football at the University of Toledo. In front of a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge, Drewery pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the killing of Tireese Martin-Croom. He was sentenced to a term of 10 to 12.5 years in prison. His sentence also covered a guilty plea for an unrelated aggravated robbery. With this conviction, the case is considered solved.
