Second man arrested over Cleveland mass shooting
A second man was arrested in a bloody mass shooting that erupted on a crowded Cleveland street last week and left nine people injured.
Kevin Raul Del Valle-Salaman, 24, was taken into custody Saturday for his alleged role in the July 9 attack on a group standing near the corner of West Sixth Street and Johnson Court in the city’s Warehouse District, Cleveland 19 reported.
Police said Del Valle-Salaman was the driver of a Kia Sportage spotted in the area that was allegedly used to take accused gunman Jaylon Jennings, 25, and a third man to the Rumor Bar & Lounge.
At the venue, Jennings allegedly spotted the victims and “purposely attempted to cause the death of nine individuals by intentionally retrieving a firearm,” according to his arrest warrant.
Police said Del Valle-Salaman and a third man, who hasn’t yet been identified, waited in the car while Jennings got a 9mm handgun from the trunk to allegedly shoot the victims after leaving the bar.
Del Valle-Salaman served as the getaway driver, officials charged.
The shooting victims — seven men and two women — were between the ages of 23 and 38, with many suffering leg and arm wounds.
At least two victims required surgery to treat the injuries.
The investigation is still underway, with police trying to identify and track down the third man allegedly involved in the bloodshed with Jennings and Del Valle-Salaman.
The accused getaway driver is facing nine counts of complicity to commit murder, all first-degree felonies.
Del Valle-Salaman is being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail awaiting an arraignment hearing at Cleveland Municipal Court on Monday.
A representative for Del Valle-Salaman could not be immediately reached for comment.
Police and US Marshals arrested Jennings on July 11 in Lorain, Ohio, about 25 miles west of Cleveland. He has pleaded not guilty to nine counts that include attempted murder, felony weapons possession and discharge of a firearm on a public street.
Jennings was in court Thursday, and appeared angry and flustered by the accusations against him.
“Where is the facts? Where is me doing this? That’s what I’m saying,” Jennings told the court. “This is crazy to me.”
His bond was set at $9 million.