U.S. marshals seize firearm, arrest 16-year-old wanted for Cleveland slaying

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A U.S. marshals task force on Friday arrested a 16-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a Cleveland man.

The teen is wanted by Cleveland police in the slaying of Tyrone Hipps Jr. , 32, on Jan. 27.

On the day of the shooting, officers found Hipps at a Sunoco gas station near the 3300 block of East 93rd Street. The teen was later identified as a suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested the youth at a home in the 12900 block of Forest Avenue in Cleveland. The motive behind the slaying is unclear.

Authorities also seized a firearm from the residence. Marshals did not identify the youth.

In 2019, Hipps sued Cuyahoga County after he was placed in a chokehold and dragged by a corrections officer while he prayed in the county jail. He settled with the county for $140,000 . The incident happened in 2018 as Hipps, who was Muslim, was being held on charges of assaulting a police officer.

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said law enforcement agencies will continue to collaborate to make the region a safe place.

"A violent fugitive and deadly firearm were taken out of the Cleveland community today," Elliott said in a statement.