DiMesha Diane Wright

DiMesha Diane Wright was a 23-year-old Black woman from Cleveland, Ohio. Her life was cut short in the early morning hours of Thursday, December 14, 2023, leaving behind a grieving family and community.

Around 3:30 a.m. that day, Cleveland police responded to a call in the area of East 185th Street and Harland Avenue. When they arrived, they found DiMesha inside a home, deceased from a gunshot wound. According to court records, an assailant had fired an AR-style rifle through the front door of the residence. At the moment she was shot, DiMesha was holding her 7-month-old child.

Following the shooting, the infant was transported to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital for evaluation. Authorities did not publicly state whether the child sustained any physical injuries during the incident.

An investigation quickly led police to a suspect. Dennis Coates, a 21-year-old man, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder in connection with DiMesha’s death. A judge in the Cleveland Municipal Court set his bond at $1,000,000.

As of December 2023, the case against Dennis Coates has been bound over to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to proceed through the legal system.