Police say the cases are separate as detectives search for suspects and motive.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two Lyft drivers were shot to death on Cleveland’s East Side within about 36 hours, police said, in separate attacks that ended with both victims found slumped behind the wheel after their vehicles crashed near residential streets.
Investigators said Wednesday that they have not found evidence tying the killings together beyond the victims’ work for the same rideshare company. The deaths have rattled drivers across the region and prompted renewed questions about passenger screening and safety tools as detectives track leads and review records connected to each ride.
The first killing happened late Sunday, Feb. 8, near the intersection of East 103rd Street and Rosehill Avenue, authorities said. Officers were dispatched around 9:50 p.m. after reports of a crash, but found the driver had been shot in the head, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital and later died.
The Cuyahoga County medical examiner identified the man as Antoine Magel Latham, 56, of Cleveland. Cleveland police said Latham was driving for Lyft at the time. Sergeant Freddy Diaz, a department spokesman, said detectives were working to reconstruct the timeline of the ride and determine where the encounter began and where it ended.
Lyft said it removed the rider connected to the case from the platform and was cooperating with investigators. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of the driver in this tragic incident, and our hearts go out to their loved ones,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement. The company said it was trying to reach the driver’s family to offer support.
The second killing was discovered early Tuesday, Feb. 10, after another crash call on the city’s East Side, police said. Around 1:13 a.m., officers responded to the 2100 block of East 84th Street, where a vehicle had struck a dumpster. Inside, police found a man slumped over the steering wheel, suffering from a gunshot wound and not breathing.
The medical examiner identified the victim as Vasyl Shvets, 27, of Parma. Police said he had been shot in the torso. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, authorities said. Investigators later determined he also was a Lyft driver, Diaz said, noting that homicide detectives recognized similarities in how both scenes first appeared as traffic crashes.
Cleveland police said they are treating the shootings as separate homicide investigations. Detectives have not publicly identified a suspect in either case and have not released details about who was believed to be in the back seat or nearby when shots were fired. Diaz said investigators were still trying to determine whether either attack was random, targeted, or connected to a robbery attempt.
The department has not released information about firearms used, surveillance footage recovered, or whether either driver had communicated concerns before the shootings. Police also have not said whether the victims’ vehicles showed signs of a struggle. Investigators are reviewing digital records and other evidence as they work to establish the sequence of events in each ride.
For many drivers, the closeness of the killings in time and place has been hard to ignore. “It makes me not want to pick up anybody around the Cleveland area or outside the airport,” said Joyce, who drives for both Uber and Lyft. She said she prefers airport pickups because she believes travelers have been screened before boarding flights.
Another driver, Hari, said drivers can feel exposed because riders may see a driver’s photo and profile, while drivers may have less information about who is stepping into the car. “The riders, they know who we are, because they see our face and our profile, but we cannot see their profile, who they are,” he said.
In interviews with local media, drivers said they wanted stronger verification for passenger accounts and more checks to ensure the person who orders a ride is the person who takes it. Some also urged the companies to add clearer safety features within the app, including improved alerts to trusted contacts and faster access to emergency help.
Police stressed that they have not issued a public warning that rideshare drivers face a specific, ongoing threat tied to the two deaths. Still, the killings have added to anxiety among drivers who work late-night hours, when pickups can involve dimly lit streets and fewer bystanders, and when drivers may accept rides farther from familiar neighborhoods.
Detectives said they are working with Lyft as part of both investigations, including reviewing available trip data and other records. Police asked anyone with information that could help identify the shooters or clarify what happened in either case to contact the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests had been announced, and investigators had not released a timeline for when additional details may be made public. Police said they expect to continue interviews and evidence review through the week as they work to determine motive and identify suspects.
Author note: Last updated February 11, 2026.