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PAINESVILLEOhio (WJW) — An off-duty Cleveland officer accused of firing a gun in the parking lot of a local elementary school on Thursday appeared in court Friday morning.

Alexander Sinclair was arrested at the scene following the shooting outside shortly after 9am. Riverview Elementary School in Painesville County. The incident caused a quarantine at the school.

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Sinclair appeared in Painesville Municipal Court at 11 a.m. Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and discharge of a firearm. Connection denied.

The victim, who requested a protective order, and a child she shared with Sinclair were in the car at the time of the incident, according to courtroom testimony. She told the judge by phone that Sinclair followed her from a nearby nursery to school, where he crashed his car into hers so she could not move. He said he then shot his windshield.

Sinclair asked the woman in court: “I understand this whole situation. Could you give me a chance to talk to the kids sometime? I appreciate this very much.

The judge issued a temporary protection order for the woman and her children.

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On Thursday afternoon, Riverside Schools released a statement saying: “At approximately 9:10 p.m., Riverview Elementary School was placed on lockdown due to a domestic disturbance that began off-site and then moved to the Riverview Elementary School parking lot. Away from the school during this altercation, Madison “A shot was fired near the vehicles in the parking lot towards the Boulevard. The fire was not directed towards the school, so there were no serious injuries.”

Authorities said the deputy assigned as the school’s resource officer learned of the disturbance and approached two vehicles believed to be involved in the incident. Then he heard a single gunshot.

Outside the vehicle, he saw a man later identified as Sinclair and ordered him to drop the gun. Sinclair then dropped the gun and a deputy took him into custody.

Allegedly no one was shot I-TeamHowever, the incident resulted in a deputy being injured in his hand and a woman and child being taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution, although they were not injured.

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Sources told I-Team Sinclair was Tased by a school resource officer and also transported to a hospital.

Sinclair is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. Monday

Following Sinclair’s arraignment, Cleveland police released a statement regarding his arrest Friday afternoon:

“Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd, Sergeant Alexander Sinclair
He was arrested on Thursday, October 31, 2024 by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “The incident that led to this arrest occurred outside the city of Cleveland while Sinclair was off duty.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a criminal investigation, according to the Cleveland Police Department.

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Sinclair was fired and suspended without pay until criminal charges are adjudicated, according to the statement.

“Sergeant Sinclair was hired by the Police Department in April 2015 and most recently served in the Fifth Precinct, Basic Patrol Division,” the statement said.

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