CLEVELAND, OH - A 25-year-old man facing murder charges was reportedly arrested and subsequently bailed out of jail earlier in December under separate charges, with a social justice-themed nonprofit focused on ending cash bail being the entity that set the now-murder suspect free to allegedly commit the fatal Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) shooting.
On December 14th, Cleveland Police arrested 25-year-old Donnie Allen after the suspect allegedly shot and killed a 27-year-old man at the Puritas-W 150th RTA station located along the 4200 block of W 150th Street.
It’s unclear what, if any, connection Allen had with the victim, later identified as Benjamin McComas. An obituary of the victim described him as a Russian-born photographer who often advocated for the homeless community.
While the bond in Allen’s latest set of charges was set at $1 million, it was a prior arrest from earlier in December that led to scrutiny of the nonprofit “The Bail Project” in the wake of Allen’s latest arrest.
Back on December 4th, Allen was arrested by RTA authorities on charges of breaking and entering and drug possession, an arrest that resulted in bail being set in the amount of $15,000. On December 9, The Bail Project ponied up $5,000 on Allen’s behalf while reportedly successfully securing a bail reduction, affording the individual who would’ve ostensibly remained incarcerated pending the outcome of his charges an opportunity to make bond and get out of jail.
Five days following Allen’s ability to make bond, courtesy of The Bail Project, he would be arrested for allegedly killing McComas.
According to the mission statement of The Bail Project, “By providing free bail assistance to those in need, we restore the presumption of innocence, reunite families, and gather evidence for change,” emphasizing that they “seek to take money out of justice and to create a pretrial system that is more just, equitable, and humane.”
This case has spurred local heated debate over the processes and justifications for bail and pretrial release, with members of the Cleveland City Council highlighting Allen’s numerous arrests over the last half-decade while questioning why a bail reduction was even considered.
Councilmembers Brian Kazy and Charles Slife issued a joint statement on December 18th regarding Allen’s case, reading in part, “We call for a thorough review of the bond decisions leading up to the suspect’s release and Mr. McComas’s senseless murder. Our community demands accountability. ‘Justice’ must be more than a word but a practice where the safety of the law-abiding public comes first.”
On December 14th, Cleveland Police arrested 25-year-old Donnie Allen after the suspect allegedly shot and killed a 27-year-old man at the Puritas-W 150th RTA station located along the 4200 block of W 150th Street.
It’s unclear what, if any, connection Allen had with the victim, later identified as Benjamin McComas. An obituary of the victim described him as a Russian-born photographer who often advocated for the homeless community.
While the bond in Allen’s latest set of charges was set at $1 million, it was a prior arrest from earlier in December that led to scrutiny of the nonprofit “The Bail Project” in the wake of Allen’s latest arrest.
Back on December 4th, Allen was arrested by RTA authorities on charges of breaking and entering and drug possession, an arrest that resulted in bail being set in the amount of $15,000. On December 9, The Bail Project ponied up $5,000 on Allen’s behalf while reportedly successfully securing a bail reduction, affording the individual who would’ve ostensibly remained incarcerated pending the outcome of his charges an opportunity to make bond and get out of jail.
Five days following Allen’s ability to make bond, courtesy of The Bail Project, he would be arrested for allegedly killing McComas.
According to the mission statement of The Bail Project, “By providing free bail assistance to those in need, we restore the presumption of innocence, reunite families, and gather evidence for change,” emphasizing that they “seek to take money out of justice and to create a pretrial system that is more just, equitable, and humane.”
This case has spurred local heated debate over the processes and justifications for bail and pretrial release, with members of the Cleveland City Council highlighting Allen’s numerous arrests over the last half-decade while questioning why a bail reduction was even considered.
Councilmembers Brian Kazy and Charles Slife issued a joint statement on December 18th regarding Allen’s case, reading in part, “We call for a thorough review of the bond decisions leading up to the suspect’s release and Mr. McComas’s senseless murder. Our community demands accountability. ‘Justice’ must be more than a word but a practice where the safety of the law-abiding public comes first.”
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