CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that DaJuan Evans, 24, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault for the 2019 homicide of 58-year-old Sheila Wallace while she was walking her dog in McGowan Park. DaJuan Evans was 18 at the time of the homicide.

“The Wallace family has waited over five years for answers. I want to thank the Cleveland Homicide Initiative for never forgetting about the tragic homicide of Sheila Wallace and working tirelessly to determine who was responsible.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On January 17, 2019, 58-year-old Sheila Wallace was walking her small dog in McGowan Park, which was part of her normal routine, around 7 p.m. at night. While she was walking her dog, DaJuan Evans and another male were walking towards her in the park.

According to video evidence, Evans and the additional male crossed paths with Sheila Wallace, Evans stopped, turned around, and fired four shots. One shot struck her in the head, one shot struck her in the chest, and the two additional shots missed her. Evans and the additional male then fled the scene. Soon after, residents discovered Sheila Wallace and called the police. The Cleveland Division of Police (CPD) responded to the scene, and she was pronounced deceased. At the time of the homicide, the gun that was used in the incident had not been located.

On April 3, 2019, there was an unrelated shooting near West 48th Street and Storer Avenue in Cleveland. That gun was later linked through a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) lead to the McGowan Park homicide. Further investigation linked Evans to the firearm used in the Wallace homicide.

The Cleveland Homicide Initiative (CHI), which includes the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensics Laboratory, and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide Investigation Unit conducted the investigation.

On October 15, 2024, DaJuan Evans pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Involuntary Manslaughter with a 3-year firearm specification
  • One count of Felonious Assault with a 1-year firearm specification

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.