Shaker Heights High School and Middle School closed Tuesday after 17-year-old Jaiden Tunson was fatally shot in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Shaker Heights High School student prompted officials to close the district’s high school and middle school Tuesday while Cleveland homicide detectives investigated the teenager’s death.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the student as Jaiden Tunson of Shaker Heights. Cleveland police said officers were patrolling near East 130th Street and Buckeye Road on Monday, Oct. 26, when they heard gunfire. Officers searched the area and found Tunson near South Moreland Boulevard and Buckeye Road with an apparent gunshot wound. Officers provided emergency aid, but Cleveland EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police have released few details about what happened before the shooting. Investigators had not publicly identified a suspect or announced a motive in the latest information reviewed. Cleveland police said evidence indicated the shooting was not a drive-by shooting. Homicide detectives continued investigating the circumstances surrounding Tunson’s death.
The Shaker Heights City School District announced Monday night that one of its high school students had died in what it described as an act of violence. The district said it was devastated by the loss and asked the community to respect the family’s privacy. Officials canceled classes Tuesday at Shaker Heights High School and Shaker Heights Middle School as the school community responded to the death.
Counselors were made available at both schools Tuesday for students and staff. Students could visit their buildings between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for support even though regular classes were canceled. Students enrolled in career and technical education programs were not required to report to off-campus sites, while employees at the high school and middle school were instructed to report as scheduled. Other district buildings and offices remained open.
The shooting did not occur on a Shaker Heights school campus. Tunson was found in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood, and the district’s closures were a response to his death and its impact on students and employees rather than an announced threat at either school. Cleveland 19 reported that the high school and middle school were scheduled to reopen Wednesday.
The timing of the shooting was described differently in early local reports. News 5 Cleveland reported that it happened around 2:30 p.m. Monday, while Cleveland 19 reported that police said officers heard gunshots around 7:30 p.m. Because those published accounts conflict, the exact time of the shooting could not be independently confirmed from the material reviewed. Both reports placed the shooting near Buckeye Road and South Moreland Boulevard and identified Tunson as the 17-year-old victim.
Tunson’s death also drew public statements from local and state leaders. Ohio state Rep. Darnell Brewer cited the teenager’s killing while calling for efforts to prevent further violence following several recent fatal shootings in Cuyahoga County. The statement did not identify anyone responsible for Tunson’s death or provide new evidence about the case.
Authorities had not publicly announced an arrest, criminal charges or a confirmed motive in Tunson’s killing as of the latest reports reviewed. Cleveland homicide detectives remained responsible for the investigation while the Shaker Heights school community returned to classes following Tuesday’s closures.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.