CLEVELAND, Ohio — A 25-year-old man has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder in connection with a Sunday evening shooting in Cleveland's Union-Miles neighbourhood that left two men dead, police and Cleveland Municipal Court records show. The suspect, identified by police as Federico Belton, was arrested hours after the shooting in Akron, Ohio, and was arraigned in Cleveland Municipal Court on Tuesday morning, October 27.
The victims were Christopher Williams, 34, and Demetrius Pride, 28, both of Cleveland. Officers from the Cleveland Division of Police's Fourth District responded to the 4100 block of East 120th Street at about 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, after reports of a shooting. Williams was found in the street with multiple gunshot wounds; officers gave him first aid and he was taken to University Hospitals, where he was pronounced dead. Pride was found on a front porch and was pronounced dead at the scene by Cleveland EMS.
How police say they found the suspect
Cleveland police said investigators used the department's Real Time Crime Center — a network of city cameras monitored by officers — along with automated licence-plate readers to identify a suspect and a vehicle. Those tools, police said, led investigators to Belton. A few hours after the shooting, Akron police officers and Summit County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested him at an undisclosed location in Akron, south of Cleveland. Police initially withheld his name because formal charges had not yet been filed; he was named after charges were filed in Cleveland Municipal Court.
The court case so far
According to Cleveland Municipal Court records reviewed by WKYC, Belton faces two counts of aggravated murder — one for each victim. Aggravated murder is Ohio's most serious homicide charge, reserved for the most serious categories of intentional killing. WKYC reported that during Tuesday morning's arraignment hearing in Cleveland Municipal Court, the judge set bond at $2 million. No plea details, defence statement, or next court date were reported in the coverage reviewed for this article, and police have not announced a motive or said what relationship, if any, existed between the suspect and the victims.
In Ohio, a municipal court arraignment is the first court appearance in a felony case: the charges are read, the accused is told of his rights, and bond is set. Felony cases then move on to the county court system — here, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court — typically through a grand jury indictment. The municipal-court stage is therefore the start of the case, not its conclusion.
What is still not known
Several key questions remain open. Police have not said what led to the shooting, whether the men knew each other, or what weapon was used. No information has been released about any prior record, and no attorney for Belton has been identified publicly so far. Claims circulating on social media about the shooting being broadcast live online were not confirmed by Cleveland police or by WKYC's reporting, and this article does not repeat them as fact.
The neighbourhood and the investigation
The shooting happened in Union-Miles, a residential neighbourhood on Cleveland's East Side that falls within the Cleveland Division of Police's Fourth District. The case is being investigated by the department's homicide unit, which has asked anyone with information to contact Cleveland police. The use of the Real Time Crime Center cameras and automated plate readers is now a routine part of major Cleveland investigations: officers match camera footage and plate hits to reconstruct a vehicle's movements after a violent crime, a method police say shortened the search for a suspect in this case to a matter of hours.
Why this matters for Ohio readers
A double homicide on a residential street, solved within hours through surveillance technology, sits at the intersection of two debates Ohio communities are having: how quickly police can respond to gun violence, and how much surveillance residents accept in return. For Punjabi and South Asian families across Ohio — in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati — the case is a reminder that neighbourhood shootings in any part of the state can be followed closely through the courts, and that the municipal-court record is public: charges, bond and court dates can be checked as the case moves toward a grand jury and, if indicted, a trial in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
What is solid
- Two men — Christopher Williams, 34, and Demetrius Pride, 28, both of Cleveland — were killed in a shooting at about 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026, on the 4100 block of East 120th Street, Cleveland (Cleveland Division of Police, via WKYC).
- Williams was found in the street with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at University Hospitals; Pride was found on a front porch and pronounced dead at the scene (Cleveland Division of Police, via WKYC).
- Police used Real Time Crime Center cameras and automated licence-plate readers to identify a suspect and vehicle (Cleveland Division of Police, via WKYC).
- Federico Belton, 25, was arrested hours later in Akron with Akron police and Summit County Sheriff's deputies, and faces two counts of aggravated murder in Cleveland Municipal Court (WKYC, citing court records).
- Bond was set at $2 million at Tuesday's arraignment (WKYC).
What is only claimed
- The motive for the shooting and any relationship between the suspect and the victims: police have not announced either.
- Claims on social media that the shooting was broadcast live online: not confirmed by Cleveland police or WKYC, and not repeated here as fact.
- Plea, defence position and next court date: not reported in the coverage reviewed; readers should check the Cleveland Municipal Court docket for updates.
What happens next
Belton remains in custody on the $2 million bond as the case moves through the Ohio court system. The next expected steps are a preliminary hearing or grand jury presentation in Cuyahoga County, where prosecutors must secure an indictment for the case to proceed to trial in Common Pleas Court. Cleveland police continue to investigate the circumstances of the shooting and have asked witnesses to come forward. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when a next court date, plea, or motive is confirmed by police or the court.
Sources: WKYC 3News (Matt Rascon), 'Cleveland police identify suspect in shooting that killed Christopher Williams, Demetrius Pride,' October 27, 2026; FAMMTV, 'Cleveland shooting leaves 2 dead, suspect arrested in Akron,' October 26, 2026 — both reporting the Cleveland Division of Police account. All allegations against Belton are as charged; he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: WKYC 3News