A 51-year-old Solon man injured in a shoot-out with the Aurora police chief last week has died, according to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office.
Jian Wei Chen died around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, said Powell Cesar, public information officer for the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office.
Cesar said Chen suffered a gunshot wound to the face with the bullet lodging in Chen’s brain. The bullet was not removed, Cesar said.
An autopsy is under way today to determine an exact cause of death, he said.
Chen was shot Nov. 29 following an incident outside his Solon home involving Aurora Police Chief Seth Riewaldt. Aurora police had already obtained an arrest warrant for Chen on a felony charge of rape, and were in the process of obtaining a a search warrant for Chen’s home when the shooting occurred.
According to Solon police, Riewaldt was outside Chen’s home conducting surveillance while waiting for the search warrant. When Chen attempted to leave a confrontation occurred, police said, and Chen pulled a gun from inside his jacket. Shots were then exchanged between Chen and Riewaldt, police said.
Riewaldt has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident.
Solon police are conducting the investigation since the incident occurred in their city, officials have said.
Read more in the Dec. 12 issue of the Aurora Advocate.