Years without answers: Family seeks justice for deaths of Cleveland firefighter, son

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Venita McCormick stood before news cameras and firefighters Tuesday, renewing her plea for justice in the unsolved killings of her husband and son.On July 21, 2020, retired Cleveland firefighter Wilbert McCormick was shot and killed by a stray bullet while taking an evening walk with his wife in Forest Hills Park. The case remains unsolved. Four years before that tragedy, the couple’s son, Lenell McCormick, was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Kinsman Road near East 69th Street in August 2016. He was 24 years old. That case, too, has never been solved.“My husband and I went for our daily walk in the park, and my husband was struck in the back of his head by a bullet,” Venita McCormick said at Tuesday’s memorial. “This has caused so much grief and so much pain, so much anguish for me and my family members.” The memorial gathering brought together fire department officials, family members and local media to remember Wilbert McCormick’s life of service and to appeal to the community for information about both deaths.Cleveland Fire spokesman Lt. Mike Norman described Wilbert McCormick as “a man who lived a life of service.” McCormick first served in the U.S. Navy before joining the Cleveland Division of Fire in 1981, where he worked for over 30 years. He retired in 2011.The family’s double tragedy has left Venita McCormick without answers or closure. When asked about the status of police investigations into both cases, she said she has heard “barely any communication” from police on the matters.The Cleveland Division of Police Accident Investigation Unit is investigating Lennell McCormick’s death, according to the department’s spokesman, Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz. Homicide detectives, in collaboration with the FBI, are investigating Wilbert McCormick’s killing. “As with all unsolved cases, the Cleveland Division of Police remains committed to pursuing every available lead,” Diaz stated. “Detectives will continue to work diligently to identify those responsible and seek justice for the McCormick family.”Despite the years that have passed and the lack of progress, Venita McCormick said she remains determined to speak for her lost loved ones.“There hasn’t been a day that goes by that I don’t miss my loved ones, and my heart is grieved today,” Venita McCormick said. “But I stand here with strong courage to ask all that are watching, all that know what happened to my son, anyone that’s watching, anyone that knows what happened to my son, what happened to my husband, to please come forward.”She made an emotional appeal to anyone who might have information.“If it were your child, if it were your husband, if it were your nephew, if it was your grandfather, it was your uncle, what would you do?” she asked. “How can you hold back? How can you not come forth and provide some information?”Retired firefighter Tim Dagg, who worked with Wilbert McCormick for roughly 30 years, remembered his colleague as someone who embodied “love, honesty, purity, and most of all, unselfishness.”“Wilbert was unselfish and most of all, I think loving, because he loved the Cleveland Fire Department,” Dagg said. “He loved the community that he protected.”Family members also used the memorial to call for broader action against gun violence and hit-and-run incidents. Keith Brown, Wilbert’s brother-in-law, urged community members to join anti-gun violence groups and contact politicians about gun legislation.Daniel McCormick, Wilbert’s brother, called for higher penalties for those who flee accident scenes.“It seems to be a prevalence today that people don’t take accountability for their actions,” he said. “The minute they have an accident, the first thing they want to do is run,” he said.Venita McCormick vowed to continue advocating for her husband and son. The family of retired Cleveland firefighter Wilbert McCormick is still waiting for justice six years after he was fatally shot while walking in Forest Hills Park in Glenville.provided