Erika Miranda

Erika Miranda was a 31-year-old woman from Cleveland, Ohio, remembered by those who knew her as hardworking, dependable, and deeply caring. She had worked at the Barrio restaurant in Tremont since 2014, where she had been promoted to assistant kitchen manager and was considered a well-respected leader. Her colleagues described her as fun-loving, a caretaker, and someone with a "go-get-it attitude." Erika was also the beloved niece of Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone, and her death was a devastating loss for her family and her work team, who honored her memory with a display of her photo at the restaurant.

The tragedy occurred just after midnight on January 1, 2020, making Erika’s death the first homicide in Cleveland that year. She was at a New Year's gathering at a home in the 5900 block of Merrill Avenue with her boyfriend, Sheldon Stevens Jr. To celebrate the start of the new year, Stevens began firing celebratory gunshots, or “popping off rounds.” During this, one of the bullets struck Erika in the face.

Police officers responded to the home around 12:15 a.m. after a call reported a woman had been shot. They arrived to find Stevens on top of Erika, who was lying on the floor and bleeding. She was transported to MetroHealth hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The shooting was one of 11 that took place in the city over a nine-hour span between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, during which a total of 13 people were shot.

Stevens, then 38, was arrested at the scene, and police recovered a gun. Investigators believed he may have been under the influence of alcohol. He was charged with reckless homicide, a third-degree felony. At his initial court appearance, he pleaded not guilty, and a judge set his bond at $500,000.

On June 25, 2020, Sheldon Stevens pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. His attorney stated, “It was a combination of alcohol use, marijuana use and poor decision making. It caused Sheldon to lose someone he loved.” On the same day, Cuyahoga County Judge John O’Donnell sentenced Stevens to four years in prison. As of June 2020, the case was closed.