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PAINESVILLE, Ohio (WJW) – A school resource officer in Painesville Township will soon be honored for his efforts in protecting the students of Riverview Elementary School during a shooting in the parking lot on Thursday.
The One In Five Foundation For Kids, formerly known as the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, announced that it will award the currently unnamed officer with its National Award for Heroism.
The organization is a national nonprofit student advocacy and safety organization that was formed after the May 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.
An off-duty Cleveland officer, identified as Alexander Sinclair, was arrested at the scene of the shooting that took place shortly after 9 a.m. outside Riverview Elementary School in Painesville Township. The incident prompted a lockdown at the school.
On Thursday afternoon, Riverside Schools released a statement saying, “At about 9:10 a.m., Riverview Elementary was placed on lockdown due to a domestic issue that began off-site and then carried into the parking lot of Riverview Elementary. During this dispute, a shot was fired near the vehicles involved in the parking lot, away from the school toward Madison Avenue. The shot was not fired in the direction of the school. As a result, no major injuries were reported.”
Authorities said the deputy assigned as the school’s resource officer learned of the disturbance and approached two vehicles believed to be involved. He then heard a single gunshot.
He saw a man, later identified as Sinclair, outside the vehicle with a gun and ordered him to drop the weapon. Sinclair then dropped the gun and a deputy detained him.
No one was shot, according to the I-Team, however, the incident resulted in a deputy with a hand injury, and a woman and child being taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, although they were reportedly not injured.
"This officer did what they failed to do in Uvalde, and sadly, others -- take action to protect students! This brave officer represents the immediate result of having committed, empathetic law enforcement on our nation's campuses. The officer utilized their training in observing a potential threat to students and acted swiftly and methodically to ensure student safety. We salute the officer and the department he serves. Heroes still wear badges,” founder of the One In Five Foundation For Kids Daniel Chapin said in a Friday press release.
Sinclair appeared in Painesville Municipal Court at 11 a.m. Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious assault, kidnapping and discharge of a firearm. He was denied bond.
According to the release, an award presentation ceremony will be held soon to honor the officer.