A quiet early morning turned into a scene of chaos and heartbreak after two people were fatally shot inside a car on Interstate 71 Saturday. The shooting happened around 1:40 a.m. near the split between I-71 North and I-490, a busy section of the highway that connects several parts of the city. Drivers who were on the road at the time reported hearing gunshots before police and EMS rushed to the scene. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner later confirmed the identities of the victims, marking another painful chapter in the city’s long struggle with gun violence.
Officials identified the victims as 35-year-old Emerald Vanderhorst and 31-year-old Jordan King. Vanderhorst was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving first responders unable to save her. King, who was critically injured, was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. Friends and family of both victims are now left in shock, trying to understand how a regular Saturday morning drive turned into a fatal shooting. Their deaths have sent waves of grief through those who knew them, while raising new concerns about violence on Cleveland roadways.
Cleveland EMS reported that another woman, believed to be in her 30s, was also at the scene but refused to be taken to the hospital. Authorities have not released information about her relationship to the victims or whether she may have witnessed the shooting. Her presence has become an important piece of the investigation, but little is known about her condition or involvement. Police are expected to speak with her as they work to reconstruct what happened moments before the deadly shots were fired.
