Man with wheelbarrow shoots, kills WWII veteran

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Family members and neighbors are stunned after a 74-year-old senior citizen was shot and killed when he confronted a man in his front yard.

DeKalb County police said Melvin Cleveland, a husband, father and grandfather, noticed a strange man in his yard with a wheelbarrow. He went out to investigate and seconds later his caregiver heard a shot.

“We don’t even know that there was an argument between them,” DeKalb County Police Major Steven Fore replied. “It was almost as if the shooting was unprovoked.”

When police arrived on the Kings Park Way scene, the wheelbarrow was still on the scene, but the man with the hoodie took off running.

Police are trying to determine from where the wheelbarrow came. Some neighbors in the Kings Way Subdivision said they had seen an unidentified man pushing a wheelbarrow.

The president of the homeowners association Mike Young said they won’t rest until the killer is off the streets.

“Some people saw him. I think they are going to find him. That is all we can hope for. We don’t want killers on the loose,” Mr. Young lamented.

Cleveland retired from General Motors after 36 years and was living out his golden years with his wife enjoying retirement. He is survived by a wife, adult children and a host of relatives.