Suspects In Custody After Waterbury Avenue Shooting

All the suspects believed to be involved in  are in police custody.

Charles Wilson, 17, was killed in the shooting at 2051 Waterbury Ave. Friday night, and 20-year-old Frederick Burt was hospitalized for treatment of a gunshot wound.

The home at 2051 Waterbury Ave. was no stranger to Lakewood Police. In fact, there had been enough calls to the duplex that the city was about to file a nuisance complaint against the landlord.

Witnesses said was the result of a violent robbery, however police have not confirmed that information.

The two men were shot at the residence at 9:30 p.m. during a party, said witnesses who asked not to be identified for this story.

They said an armed man attending the party at the second-floor apartment shot at the men before fleeing the scene.

“Several individuals have been arrested in relation to this case,” according to a news release from the . Only one gun was confiscated during the investigation, according to the release.

Wilson was shot and killed inside the second floor apartment. Burt was shot in the leg while in the driveway of the duplex, just south of Madison Avenue. He was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, where his condition is not known.

The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office didn’t return calls Saturday afternoon to offer comment on the coroner's investigation. 

Kevin Guzay, a Waterbury Avenue resident, said he’s lived on the street for two years. He’s noticed some drug activity on the street.

“Mostly it’s quiet,” he said. “This is the worst thing that’s happened around here. I grew up in Lakewood. I still feel pretty safe here.”

It’s a different story for another resident of Waterbury Avenue.

A neighbor, who lives near the shooting but asked that his name not be used for this story, has been concerned about the activity at his neighbor’s house. He’s complained to the police “several” times about suspicious behavior at the home.

“There’s constantly people coming and going from there,” he said. “I didn’t feel safe. It was only a matter of time before something happened.”

On Friday night, he was watching TV when he heard at least three gunshots from the home across the street at around 9:30 p.m.

Lakewood law director Kevin Butler said there have been “enough police visits to the home to warrant a nuisance violation” against the landlord. 

The landlord, Equity Trust Co., couldn’t be reached for comment. 

"This is a very unusual event for Lakewood — we haven't had an event like this in many years," said Lakewood Mayor Mike Summers on Friday night. “This is a discouraging thing to happen in any neighborhood."