Late on May 26, 2024, around 3 a.m., a shooting outside the Medusa Nightclub near St. Clair Avenue and East 13th Street in Cleveland left two people dead and two others wounded. A group was standing outside when an altercation escalated and multiple shots were fired. Twenty-four-year-old De’Andre Smith and 28-year-old Ta’Von Thompson were fatally shot; a 26-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man suffered injuries. All four were taken to a nearby hospital, where Smith and Thompson were later pronounced dead.

The Cleveland Division of Police identified three suspects: Mark Hardy, 27; Kenneth Patterson, 23; and Da’Karai Johnson, 27. Authorities say Hardy and Patterson shot Smith and Thompson, while Johnson shot the two other victims. Arrests followed in June and a Cuyahoga County grand jury returned indictments on June 14, 2024; Hardy and Patterson face murder and felonious assault counts while Johnson was indicted on felonious assault counts. The suspects are to be arraigned at the county Justice Center.

Does anyone who was in that area that night or who knew De’Andre have information that could help clarify what sparked the altercation?