Bond set at $5 million for man accused killing of Cleveland officer who was McQuaid grad

CLEVLAND, N.Y. — De’Lawnte Hardy, the man accused of killing a Cleveland Police officer who graduated from McQuaid and was raised in Webster, had his bond set at $5 million.

Hardy, 24, had his first court appearance on Friday morning in Cleveland Municipal Court. He is charged with the aggravated murder of 27-year-old Jamieson Ritter.

Ritter is the son of retired Greece Police Officer Jon Ritter. The elder Ritter was credited with saving lives on Christmas Eve 2012 when William Spengler set a fire and shot and killed responding firefighters on Lake Road.

According to our NBC affiliate in Cleveland, the attorneys described the allegations against Hardy at the court appearance. He is accused of stealing his grandmother’s gun and shooting her in the face, which put her on life support in the hospital. Attorneys say that, five days later, police found Hardy in Cleveland and he fired at them while trying to escape, hitting and killing Officer Ritter.

Ritter was named officer of the month in Cleveland in May for his actions while responding to three different calls. He rescued a man who had jumped in a river in April, performed first aid on him, and warmed him up to prevent hypothermia.

He also performed first-aid in May on a man who was shot, helping to save his life. He also performed CPR on a gunshot victim in February, who eventually died died.