CLEVELAND (WJW) – Newly released video from city of Cleveland traffic cameras shows the high-speed collision that happened early Sunday, when a car being pursued by Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies slammed into a vehicle stopped at a red light.
Sharday Elder, a 37-year-old innocent mother of two, was killed in the crash.
The victim’s family received the heartbreaking news on Sunday that their loved one was killed when her car was struck by the fleeing suspect’s vehicle at Superior Avenue and Addison Avenue.
“I’m hurt, I’m hurt, I want my sister back,” the victim’s sister, Cearria Elder, wept as she told FOX 8.
The crash that took Sharday’s life as she sat defenseless at a red light also caused serious injuries to her 33-year-old passenger and two passengers in the car that was being pursued, an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl.
“My sister didn’t even see it coming. It’s terrible. I’m sick to my stomach, I can’t sleep at night,” said Cearria.
On Thursday morning, the driver blamed for the deadly accident, 24-year-old Jaymone Whitaker II, was arraigned in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide and assault, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, child endangering and OVI.
Whitaker pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a judge set his bond at $500,000.
“He is crazy, he’s a lunatic, because there’s no way you should be going that fast,” said Cearria.
The Elder family said they were told earlier this week that the same deputy involved in Sunday’s deadly pursuit was also involved in a high-speed chase earlier this year that took the life of another innocent victim.
It was on March 28 that deputies assigned to the Downtown Cleveland Safety Patrol tried to pull over a car for traffic violations.
The driver sped away and jumped onto I-90 and accelerated up to 100 miles per hour.
When the driver got off the highway at Eddy Road, his car slammed into an SUV, causing an explosion and fire.
The innocent victim, 48-year-old Tamya Westmoreland, was ejected from her vehicle and was thrown 40 feet off a bridge deck at the end of the exit ramp.
Also killed was the driver being pursued by deputies, 24-year-old Nigel Perry.
Sharday’s family questions why the deputy was still on the road on Sunday morning.
“In the midst of him chasing that man, it cost us my sister’s life. She’s no longer here,” said Cearria.
As they deal with the trauma of losing a loved one, the Elder family must also make plans to care for Sharday’s 11-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help the grieving family pay for the 37-year-old’s funeral and help raise her children.
Cearria, who is now asking the court to grant her custody of her niece and nephew, said, “because that’s my sister, I’m my sister’s keeper. I’m going to step up for my niece and my nephew. Nobody is going to step up for them like I’m going to step up for them.”
Jack Shea
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