![Vincent Belmonte's stepmother Nickey Duckworth after speaking with media Friday outside East Cleveland City Hall. [Matthew Richmond / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5a086fa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1686+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F1%2F08%2Feastclevelandshooting_web.jpg)
Updated: 9:32 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8, 2021
Activists and two city council members are calling for the firing of Sgt. Larry McDonald, the officer who killed fleeing suspect Vincent Belmonte, Tuesday in East Cleveland.
鈥淭his officer has been a huge problem for a long time,鈥� said East Cleveland activist Justin Anderson during a Friday press conference outside city hall. 鈥淚 have begged the mayor, I have pleaded with him. Every time this officer did something that was outrageous, I begged the mayor to terminate him.鈥�
The shooting occurred Tuesday morning in East Cleveland. After a vehicle pursuit, Belmonte fled on foot and McDonald, along with three other officers shown in the body cam footage, pursued him.
East Cleveland police claim that Belmonte had a gun.
Body camera footage obtained by cleveland.com appears to show McDonald turning his camera off during the chase that led to Belmonte鈥檚 shooting. picked up the sound of three gun shots and shows two officers standing over a motionless body in the grass while McDonald stands a few feet away and then is led away from the scene.
Belmonte鈥檚 stepmother, Nickey Duckworth, doubted Belmonte would have pointed a gun at the police.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not an angry, urban child,鈥� Duckworth said. 鈥淢y family loves each other. My children are devastated from the loss of their brother.鈥�
East Cleveland City Council Vice President Juanita Gowdy and Ward 3 Councilman Ernest Smith stood with Duckworth and local activists during Friday鈥檚 press conference. Gowdy said she had personally asked East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King to require McDonald wear a body camera.
鈥淎nd for him to take off that body camera, we鈥檙e going to hold him accountable because it never should have been taken off,鈥� Gowdy said.
Smith said he was there to support the family鈥檚 call for justice and hold local government to account, including himself.
鈥淚鈥檓 here to be held accountable, even though it鈥檚 not my fault,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淎s an elected official I鈥檓 here with you.鈥�
after getting a woman released from jail in exchange for a date, according to East Cleveland police.
McDonald is currently on paid administrative leave and the Bureau of Criminal Investigations in the Ohio Attorney General鈥檚 office is handling the investigation.
