East Cleveland man pleads not guilty in shooting death of 3-year-old

CLEVELAND, Ohio — An East Cleveland man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old boy in Cleveland Heights in August. Warren Jenkins, 20, was indicted this month on charges including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, child endangering, tampering with evidence and drug trafficking. The charges stem from the Aug. 11 shooting death of 3-year-old De Andre Smith.

Scoop News DeskEast Cleveland · Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC

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According to Cleveland Heights police, Smith accidentally shot himself in the head at a home in the 3300 block of Sylvanhurst Road. He died two days later at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, authorities said. Jenkins was given a $500,000 bond and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Monday before Judge Maureen Clancy.

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