Ohio News Reporter Hospitalized After Shooting, Suspect Found Dead

Mar. 15, 2025

Winnie Dortch.Photo:youtube

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An Ohio man is dead and a local news reporter has been hospitalized after she was injured in a shooting, police said.

Winnie Dortch, a reporter forWOIO 19 News, isrecovering from surgeryat MetroHealth Medical Center after she was shot during an incident that occurred in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio early Monday morning.

According toLakewood police, officers received a call reporting that two people were arguing at around 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 7. While officers were arriving on the scene, 911 callers told Lakewood dispatchers they heard gunshots go off.

Dortch was found to have at least one gunshot “serious” wound, police said, and a man who was later identified as 34-year-old Bryant Carter was found dead at the scene. Lakewood Police Captain Gary Stone toldlocal NBC affiliate station WKYC Studiosas well asABC affiliate News 5 Clevelandthat they believe Carter killed himself after shooting Dortch.

“It’s a tragedy,” Father Kevin Elbert told the outlet of the shooting. “This is so close to home. This is a tragic event. Any loss of life is a tragic event, especially in a place that’s holy ground.”

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WOIO confirmed that Dortch’s surgery “went well,” calling the announcement “fantastic news” during a Monday afternoonbroadcast.

“This morning, our friend and colleague Winnie Dortch was the victim of a brutal domestic violence attack, She was immediately rushed to MetroHealth Medical Center and underwent surgery for her injuries,” WOIO News Director Brian Sinclair said in a statement. “Our prayers are with her, her young daughter, and the many other victims of domestic violence in our community.”

According to Lakewood police, detectives are “conducting an ongoing investigation of the incident itself, as well as the nature of the relationship between the two involved parties, as it appears that they were familiar with each other.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com