Cleveland’s police chief said Sunday’s murder of a Cleveland Clinic nurse downtown was targeted.
Chief Michael McGrath told NewsChannel5’s Kristin Volk that he does not believe anyone else in the public is in danger, despite no arrest in the case.
"If I thought their safety was in jeopardy, I'd be the first one to knock at their door," said McGrath, who added that police are working hard on the case to identify the person or people responsible for the crime.
McGrath said they're investigating a number of people, including the victim's husband and other family members.
Friends said the mother of four was visiting her lawyer downtown, and was currently in the middle of divorce proceedings from her estranged husband.
Police said a passerby found 53-year-old Aliza Sherman of Beachwood lying in a pool of blood Sunday evening on East 12th Street near the Galleria at Erieview Mall. Sherman and someone who tried to help her called 911.
Sherman was taken to the hospital, where she died a short time later. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said she was stabbed 11 times.
"We're keeping a lot of information we have under wraps because the way in which the investigation is going," said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.
Police have yet to release any description of a suspect. The manager of the Galleria told NewsChannel5 he turned over surveillance video showing the attack to police, but no images of that video were also released to the public.
"If there's one homicide or one crime that's committed, we don't take that lightly, and we do what we need to do to ensure safety not only downtown but in our other neighborhoods," said Jackson.
Court records showed there was to be a divorce proceeding Tuesday and another in April. Sherman’s estranged husband declined NewsChannel5’s request for an interview.
Sherman’s funeral was held Thursday in Cleveland Heights. A friend of Sherman's who attended the service told NewsChannel5 off-camera that it was very crowded, and friends and family described the woman's kindness, generosity and love for animals.
The obituary mentioned Sherman's daughter, three sons, but there is no mention of her husband.
