Cleveland man accused of slayings kills himself.

[panamania79 2]

CLEVELAND – A man suspected of killing his newlywed wife, his sister-in-law and three young children killed himself Friday after police forced their way into the home he had fled to and found him hiding in the bathroom, authorities said. Across the street from the home where Davon Crawford shot himself in the head, several dozen people lined up behind yellow police tape and cheered as a sheet-covered stretcher was removed from the house.

Crawford's wife, Lechea, was killed about four miles away in the couple's home Thursday night, along with her sister and the sister's 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twins. Another child was wounded.

A relative said the Crawfords had recently married, and police said a 2-month-old baby found unharmed in the home is believed to be theirs.

On Friday, SWAT teams had set up surveillance on a two-story red-and-yellow wood frame in a densely populated Cleveland neighborhood after receiving information that Davon Crawford, 33, might be inside, police Lt. Thomas Stacho said. Shortly thereafter, authorities saw a man matching Crawford's description at the house, and authorities forced their way through the front door, he said.

Police conducted a room-by-room search to find Crawford, Stacho said.

"There was no standoff," Stacho said. "As they confronted him, he shot himself."

Stacho said an unidentified woman was found in another part of the home where Crawford killed himself, but police did not release any information about her connection to Crawford.

Police Chief Michael McGrath said it appears that some sort of domestic argument sparked Thursday's shootings, which he called "one of the worst multiple shootings that I've seen in a long time."

Crawford has convicted in 1995 of voluntary manslaughter, according to prison records. He was released from prison in 2000 and sent back in 2002 on a felonious assault conviction involving domestic violence, according to prison records. He was freed again in 2007.

Killed Thursday were Lechea Crawford, 30, her 25-year-old sister, Rose Stevens, and Stevens' three children: Destanee Woods and twins Dion and Davion Primm.

A 7-year-old was wounded and was being treated at MetroHealth Medical Center; the child's name and condition were withheld at the family's request.

Two other boys in the house, ages 12 and 13, managed to flee unharmed and one called 911, officials said.

In an Associated Press interview, Lechea Crawford's father, Lamar Arnold said she and Davon Crawford had recently gotten married.

Arnold said his daughter had sent him an unusual cell phone text message at 7:47 p.m. Thursday: "Call me, live your life, love it."

"Then I tried to call her about 12 times, and there never was an answer," he said.

Police said there were two rental units in the house, and all the victims were killed in the upstairs apartment. The home is on a tree-lined street of older, mostly two-story frame houses and some apartment buildings.

There was a growing memorial of more than one dozen stuffed animals on the front steps of the house Friday, and dozens gathered for a candlelight vigil and rally as night fell.

George Julien, 44, who lives across the street, said he was stunned and upset at the shootings.

"I'm almost paralyzed. I'm almost not able to move right now," he said, sitting on his porch.

While on parole, which ended last year, Crawford passed several urine tests for drugs, paid his child support, had a full-time job and no run-ins with authorities, according to Andrea Carson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said in a statement Friday that he hopes the family will find comfort in the fact that the suspect is off the streets.

___

Associated Press Writers M.R. Kropko in Cleveland and Andrew Welsh-Huggins and Meghan Barr in

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

very sad

[Nagishkaw 510]

I agree.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Good - saves honest people the cost of a trial. Justice for the family at least.

This guy had a long history of violence.

His new wife should of did a better background check on him.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Why killed the children.

What I'm thinking is that he slept with his sister-in-law. Found out the child was his, and then his wife found out. Out of shear panic, and fear he kill his wife, sister-in-law and the kids.

I'm very interested to learn what the investigation will lead to.

[JODO 2]

He should have killed himself first. I never get why these mass murderers feel the need to kill a whole bunch of people before killing themselves. If these murderers want to off themselves, just do it and not take all these other people with them. Oh wait, maybe because they are narcissistic sociopaths they are not going to do that.

Edited March 7, 2009 by JODO

[WROCLAW 0]

Unfortunetly it did happen in Cleveland! And, every night I turn on the news, there is similar ####### like that. At least there is always 1 homicide per evening with the news in Cleveland. I've previously heard that Richmond, Va. is the "murder Capitol of the south", a fact I know as I've interviewed In Richmond for the Virginia D.O.C*. It seems to me that Cleveland is now surpassing Detroit & Chicago, as the murder Capitol of the north. *D.O.C., Department of Corrections.*

[Donna A 4]

when my sister first moved up to cleveland her car broke down and some man came to help her and had her half scared to death. he told her lady ur in the wrong side of town....im going to go get u help....dont u open ur door or window to anyone until i get back.

another time she was on her way to work and was sitting at a red light and just happened to look in her mirror and saw some guys coming up to her car and one busted out her window with a chain and she got the heck out of there.

[WROCLAW 0]

when my sister first moved up to cleveland her car broke down and some man came to help her and had her half scared to death. he told her lady ur in the wrong side of town....im going to go get u help....dont u open ur door or window to anyone until i get back.

another time she was on her way to work and was sitting at a red light and just happened to look in her mirror and saw some guys coming up to her car and one busted out her window with a chain and she got the heck out of there.

I can easy visualize this too, not good. It is all over Cleveland, Eastside & Westside. That is too bad, I hope your sister is o.k..

[Donna A 4]

so far so good. she's been there now maybe 15 years. she works at the cleveland clinic so its kinda hard for her to avoid "the bad part" when she is surrounded by it.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Girls, this is a good place to show your curves. Make sure to wear ultra-tight jeans, and tight shirts. Okay.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Tragic.