CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was shot and pronounced dead on scene Sunday afternoon.

According to Cleveland EMS, crews responded to the area of Connecticut Avenue.

The victim was identified as 20-year-old Danion Robinson, according to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office.

19 News has reached out to police for more information.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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A group of historians and educators is working to identify, preserve, and share the stories of freedom seekers who traveled through the Underground Railroad in Illinois. 

The project comes amid efforts to erase or water down Black history, including recent actions by the National Park Service under the Trump administration. Last month, the National Park Service removed an exhibit in Philadelphia about nine people enslaved by George Washington.  A federal judge ordered the exhibit to be restored.  The Trump administration has appealed that ruling.  In September, a photo showing an enslaved man’s scarred back from whippings was removed from a national monument in Georgia. 

Members of the “Illinois Network to Freedom Collective” are focused on bringing attention to the stories of freedom seekers and sites connected to the Underground Railroad in Illinois.  

According to the National Park Service, there are 28 recognized “Network to Freedom” sites in the state, including Graceland Cemetery and the Ton Farm site in Chicago. 

Abdul Alkalimat, a member of the collective, said, “We found at least 429 places in Illinois that were directly connected to the Underground Railroad.” 

The group is working to uncover and document these locations by analyzing written records, church documents, census data, and oral histories. 

“We think the real story is the freedom seekers, the people who were daring enough to escape from slavery,” said Alkalimat. 

Eric Krupa, curator and archivist at the St. Charles History Museum, recently helped add the Joseph Bartlett Farm in Kane County to the National Park Service’s list of recognized safehouses. 

“This site is actually where Celia and Eliza were taken to,” said Krupa, referring to two freedom seekers whose journey passed through the area. 

Krupa said there is evidence connecting another home in St. Charles to the same story, and he is working to get that home nationally recognized as well. 

Larry McClellan, a historian with the collective, explained the challenges of researching this history. 

“So, to begin with, this (the underground railroad) is all illegal, so what we have to do is find all kinds of ways to get into the information, and so we end up with family records, with church records, with census records,” said McClellan. 

Alkalimat added, “There’s a lot of oral history. There’s a lot of family documentation.” 

The collective’s work is not only about research, but also about public education. 

“It’s getting the resources, the imagery, the narratives, the stories, those things that help students and teachers come alive in classrooms that bring those feelings up in classrooms,” said Asif Wilson, an educator and member of the group. 

McClellan said, “There are efforts going on around the state, and having the commission will help us pull those efforts together in terms of developing curriculum, developing standards and guidelines.” 

The group hopes that by teaching this history, they can inspire progress in the ongoing fight for civil rights. 

“The Underground Railroad is an important aspect of the past, but we have to embrace the legacy of the freedom seekers all the way through the current time we live in today,” said Alkalimat, “Since we’ve arrived here, we’ve always found ways to build new home, place, to build new lives, to resist that oppression, and I hope to bring those legacies and those memories to folks who might not have them because we exist in a time and place right now where it seems like the world is literally on fire,” said Wilson, “We really need these moments to reconcile the past and what the past might mean for the future.” 

The collective came together about a year ago, but Historians Glennette Turner and Larry McClellan have been doing this work for decades. They say the new collaborative project gives them hope. 

“Part of why we’re so excited about the new collaborative is really completing the work that we started so long ago,” said McClellan. 

Turner said, “I’m 92 years old, and I knew I wouldn’t live forever and just, you know, be able to continue this. It’s just so encouraging. It just means everything is going to be in good hands going forward.” 

Last summer, Illinois passed the “Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act,” which aims to explore, research, and commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers. Several members of the collective helped draft the legislation and are now working with the state. The official commission has yet to be announced and will be appointed by the governor. 

NORTH VERNON, Ind. (WDRB) — An 11-year-old girl’s parents are suing a southern Indiana school district, alleging severe bullying and sexual abuse at school pushed their daughter to take her own life.

Fifth grader Brooklyn Cook’s parents said administrators at the Jennings County School Corporation knew what was happening and failed to stop it.

Cook was often found at the Jennings County Animal Shelter, saving up her hard-earned money to feed stray cats. After the 11-year-old died by suicide last February, a memorial now stands outside the shelter with her name on it.

“A beautiful little girl and a family that just loved her tremendously,” said Gregory Laker, who is representing the family in their wrongful death lawsuit against the school district and several staff members.

According to the lawsuit, the problem started when Cook was in fourth grade at North Vernon Elementary School, where two male students bullied her. After it was reported to administrators, the boys were removed from her class.

The lawsuit claims those same students were placed back in her classroom during fifth grade after a change in principals.

Several of Cook’s friends told a guidance counselor the boys told her to kill herself, showing them messages one of the students sent to her.

“Her friends felt like they were being disciplined every time they came forward and reported the bullying on Brooklyn’s behalf,” Laker said.

Months before her death, Cook posted a TikTok in which she said she did not want to be sexually assaulted at school anymore. An assistant teacher reported the video to administrators.

The lawsuit claims that despite the video and the reports from her friends, the boys were never removed from her classroom or disciplined, even as the bullying continued almost daily during her fifth grade year. 

Cook then lost her life to suicide Feb. 17, 2025.

“The hardest thing in the world is burying your own child,” said Laker. “They had to do that with their 11-year-old daughter. Her brother lost, by all reports, his best friend in Brooklyn.”

In a statement, JCSC Superintendent Nicole Johnson said “Jennings County School Corporation is aware of the lawsuit. We strongly deny the allegations and will have no further comment on this pending legal matter at this time.”

The family contends the district’s response was insufficient and contributed to their daughter’s death.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and thoughts of self harm, the 988 crisis and suicide lifeline is available 24/7. 

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