Tamara McLoyd (left), and Police Officer Shane Bartek.
Jurors convicted a woman of shooting and killing an off-duty police officer during a carjacking. Tamara McLoyd, who turned 19 during trial, was found guilty of aggravated murder, and other charges.
Today a jury found Tamara McLoyd, 19, guilty for carjacking a 27-year-old male on Christmas Day and killing 25-year-old Cleveland Police Officer Shane Bartek on New Year’s Eve in 2021. Sentencing will be at a later date. pic.twitter.com/Lq9aJfkp6m
— ProsMikeOMalley (@ProsMikeOMalley) August 3, 2022
On Dec. 31, she ran up with a gun behind Cleveland Police Officer Shane Bartek, 25, robbed him, and shot him, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in Ohio said. She fled in his vehicle. Bartek was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The defendant was arrested separately from Anthony Butler, 29, who was found driving the slain officer’s vehicle.
McLoyd confessed to police that she robbed and shot Bartek, according to WEWS.
Surveillance footage also showed the fatal confrontation between her and Bartek in an apartment complex parking lot.
Testimony at trial showed DNA linked her to a gun found with her in a vehicle during her arrest, but it was unclear if this was the murder weapon.
Jurors also convicted McLoyd of a separate carjacking at the same apartment complex. She and an unknown person approached a 27-year-old man on Christmas Day, carjacking him at gunpoint, prosecutors said.
“Tamara McLoyd chose a life of violence and her senseless decisions tragically cost Officer Shane Bartek his life on New Year’s Eve,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said. “Today, Ms. McLoyd was held accountable for her selfish actions. Our thoughts remain with Officer Bartek’s family, friends, and fellow officers and we hope this guilty verdict provides them with some semblance of peace. She still has four more Aggravated Robbery cases pending.”
Prosecutors announced in June that Butler, now 29, pleaded guilty to receiving and driving Bartek’s stolen car. He was sentenced to three years in prison, records show.
Anthony Butler, 28, pleaded guilty to the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on December 19 & receiving a stolen vehicle registered to CPD Officer Shane Bartek on December 31, 2021. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Def. Tamara McLoyd’s next court action is July 25 at 9 a.m pic.twitter.com/yv5Y5N3Wzy
— ProsMikeOMalley (@ProsMikeOMalley) June 29, 2022
Cops have said Butler led the authorities on a high-speed chase until he crashed into a fence and a tree.
“On 12-31-21 at 2225 hrs, Richmond Heights Police Officers took over the pursuit of a stolen vehicle taken during the murder of an off-duty Cleveland Police Officer,” Richmond police wrote. “The vehicle was pursued to the Riviera Apartments located at 26011 Lakeshore Blvd in Euclid where it crashed into a fence and wedged itself between the fencepost and a tree behind the buildings.”
Bartek was a 2-year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department.
Officer Shane Bartek was only 25 years old, but his life and service made a difference in the lives of so many. Raised in Middleburg, Shane will be remembered for his optimism, his care for others, and his love of Cleveland. Our prayers are with his family and all who knew him. https://t.co/heA10VqSZz pic.twitter.com/Nce91GWWny
— Bride Rose Sweeney (@RepBrideSweeney) January 1, 2022
[Screenshot of McLoyd via WEWS; image of Bartek via Ohio state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney]
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