CLEVELAND – A former inmate has been charged with aggravated murder in the Cleveland death of a 5-year-old girl who was shot in the head while sitting in a vehicle with her mother.
An arraignment was scheduled Wednesday for the suspect, 32-year-old Geoffrey Gurkovich of Cleveland, who was arrested Tuesday. No attorney for him was listed in Municipal Court records detailing the charge.
Police obtained crime-scene surveillance footage of the Sunday night shooting, which also injured the girl's mother.
Authorities identified the slain girl as Jermani (JEHR'-muh-nee) Brooks. Her mother, 33-year-old Noni (NAH'-nee) Brooks, was hospitalized in fair condition.
Police say Gurkovich has served time behind bars for escape and domestic violence. Prison records show he was released in 2012 after serving more than three years on a sentence out of Cleveland.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
