An 18-year-old Ohio woman charged in the death of an off-duty Cleveland cop who was killed during a carjacking on New Year’s Eve has confessed to the slaying, a prosecutor said Monday.
Tamara Unique McLoyd, of Garfield Heights admitted to shooting and killing Officer Shane Bartek, 25, at an apartment complex on Cleveland’s West Side. McLoyd admitted to shooting the officer, who joined the department in 2019, twice in the back during an ambush Friday, according to Cleveland.com.
Following her arrest on Saturday morning, McLoyd, who faces a charge of aggravated murder, told investigators that she shot Bartek, Assistant Prosecutor Jose Torres told a judge during her first court appearance Monday.
According to police and court records, McLoyd “ambushed” officer Bartek and shot him after he tried to fight back during an ensuing struggle.
McLoyd then drove off in Bartek’s vehicle after shooting him and later gave the car to a 25-year-old Anthony Butler Jr, who was busted after a high-speed chase, Torres said on Monday. Police were able to arrest Butler in nearby Euclid when he crashed into a fence.
A gun believed to be the firearm used to shoot the officer was also recovered in Bartek’s stolen car, according to investigators. Butler has been charged with fleeing and eluding with stolen property, according to Cleveland.com.
McLoyd’s bond was set at $5 million on the aggravated murder charge while a Cleveland municipal judge advised her to get an attorney for her next court hearing set for Jan. 11, WJW reported.
According to court documents obtained by Cleveland.com, McLoyd was also charged in November last year with robbing a Cleveland pizza shop and is being eyed by investigators in several armed heists across the Cleveland area. Her bond in the November case is set at $125,000.
Butler was also held on a $5 million bond after his arrest late Friday, WOIO reported.
