Bond set at $10M for man accused of killing cop, grandma
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The man accused of killing a local police officer and his grandmother was arraigned in court Monday morning on multiple charges.
Last week, Cuyahoga County Prosecutors indicted Delawnte Hardy, 24, on 18 charges for killing his grandmother and a 27-year-old Cleveland police officer. The charges make Hardy eligible to face the death penalty.
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Hardy was given a bond set at $10 million Monday morning. His pretrial is now set for July 24 at 9 a.m.
During his arraignment, Hardy asked to speak but was advised not to. He said, “I do want to pull up evidence from my laptop and my cell phone,” before agreeing not to speak further.
The FOX 8 I-Team obtained chilling 911 calls that led to the encounter between Cleveland police and Hardy — and ending with the death of Officer Jamieson Ritter.
Just after midnight on the Fourth of July, two relatives of Hardy called 911 to alert police he could be found at a home on Cleveland’s east side. They said they knew Hardy was wanted for shooting his grandmother.
The 911 recordings show a series of calls with those relatives.
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In one call: “My great nephew shot my sister in the head, so he’s wanted by Garfield Heights Police. And, he might be armed. He’s right here peeking out the door. Can you please get him?”
One of the callers lost patience as he said he was watching the house where Hardy had gone. He told dispatch, “Man, at least get one car out here.”
As police rolled up, the man watching the house where Hardy had gone, said, “Got ‘em here. Yes, please, thank you, Lord.”
Police said Hardy left the house through a back door. He had a gun and two machetes. He hopped on a bike, And, then, investigators said he shot Officer Ritter.
Just months ago, Hardy was found incompetent to stand trial on a charge of resisting arrest. Mental health issues are expected to come up again as this case moves through court.
On July 10, Hardy was indicted on the following charges:
Three counts of Aggravated Murder
Two counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder
One count of Murder
Four counts of Felonious Assault
Two counts of Aggravated Robbery
Two counts of Receiving Stolen Property
One count of Having Weapons While Under Disability
One count of Theft
One count of Resisting Arrest
One count of Misdemeanor Theft
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