Cleveland police radio traffic sheds new light on deadly police shooting of Parma man

CLEVELAND - Cleveland police radio traffic released Tuesday sheds new light on the death of a Parma man shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer in July at the man’s Parma home.

Just before midnight on the eve of July 4, a Cleveland Police dispatcher had several high priority calls waiting, but somehow an off-duty Cleveland police officer's allegations about missing jewelry got moved ahead of some calls.

Ten minutes after midnight, Daniel Ficker was shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer after an off-duty officer suspected Ficker took jewelry during a party that night at the off duty officers house.

“Justice for Dan” signs adorn Dan Ficker's Parma home. But five weeks ago with high priority calls waiting, a Cleveland police officer asked the dispatcher for Ficker's address in Parma.

Officer: “If I give you a last name and a street you think you can come up with something
Dispatcher: “I'll try."

The police radio traffic does indicate that the Cleveland police officer did ask for permission to go to Ficker's house that night, despite the dispatcher needing help with several high priority calls still waiting.

Officer: "See if you can get a boss' OK to go to 6168 Wareham in Parma to get some further info for this."

Authorities said on-duty Cleveland Police Officer Matthew Craska and off-duty Officer David Mindek, who believed Ficker took jewelry from Mindek’s house during a party that night, waited for Ficker to show up at Ficker's Parma home around midnight, where Ficker was living with his fiancée Tiffany and their two young children.

Officer Craska confronted Ficker and Craska shot Ficker, who police claim was combative. Just before dying, Ficker can be heard on the police radio traffic telling his fiancée he loves her.

Officer: Shots fired. male down."
Ficker: "Tiffany I love you."

Because the officers drove out of Cleveland, the dispatcher and other officers are trying to figure out exactly where the shooting happened.

Dispatcher: "Where you at, where you at?"
Officer: "6181 Wareham in Parma. Shots fired, male down."

Cleveland police never notified Parma police they were in the city of Parma until after the shooting.

Dispatcher: "I copy, I'm gonna notify Parma. If anyone knows where that's (address) at."

So many Cleveland police officers respond to the shooting in Parma, a dispatcher told officers she has no one to handle high priority calls that were waiting since before the shooting.

Dispatcher: "I copy, any other cars heading to Parma, slow it down, all cars slow it down."
Dispatcher: "OK, any cars that are not assisting in Parma, I have three priority code ones if anyone can help me out."

Daniel Ficker's mom told NewsChannel5’s Paul Kiska Tuesday she finds it "hard to believe that just after midnight on a busy Fourth of July weekend that alleged missing jewelry was such a priority it couldn't wait.”

Cleveland police are waiting for Parma police to complete their investigation before investigating both police officers' actions that night. Police can go into another city without notifying that police department, but a Cleveland police spokesperson said they do call the other police department ahead of time, the "majority" of the time.

The medical examiner has not completed the autopsy report. Ficker’s family is now being represented by an attorney who is handling other cases of alleged excessive force by Cleveland police.