CH-UH Schools Offer Counseling to Students Who Knew Teen Killed in Shooting

A Cleveland Heights teen was near Lee and Superior roads.

Police are still investigating the incident and . No one has been charged yet.

Artwon Oliver, 16, lived in Cleveland Heights but attended the Positive Education Program Day Treatment Center in Lakewood, according to a statement from the  Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. Artwon did attend CH-UH elementary and middle schools, however, and schools are offering counseling to students who knew him.

CH-UH Schools released this statement from Superintendent Douglas Heuer:

Like many in our community, we are deeply saddened by the news that Artwon Oliver, a young man who lived in this community, was shot and killed on Saturday night. It's a terrible tragedy, our sympathy and condolences go out to the family.

While Artwon was not a student in our district, we still feel the loss.  He lived here, and did attend elementary and middle schools in our district, before deciding to attend the PEP (Day Treatment Center) in Lakewood. 

Our guidance staff and social workers are ready to work with students who knew him to help them deal with this tragedy. We also will assist the family in any way that we can.

As we understand it, the shooting is currently thought to have been committed by a group of youths from outside this community. We must begin looking at how we partner with other communities to ensure our and their kids have role models and alternatives to this type of gang behavior that seems to attract kids.

Our communities need to move beyond anger and fear and reach out to other communities to work jointly to discourage this type of activity and encourage positive alternatives. We have to admit that gangs exist for a reason and we have to root out those reasons and replace them with viable alternatives.