Vigil honors Lorain man killed by stray bullet

LORAIN — The West 20th Street and Garden Avenue block that was surrounded by police tape Friday was surrounded Sunday evening by motorcycles, friends and family of Edward Suggs, 56, the man killed by a stray bullet as he rushed to get inside. "I came up with a little saying, and I'm going to keep saying that forever: Ed was my cousin, he was my friend and he was my brother," said Joe "Big Lou" Chaney, of Lorain, Suggs' biological cousin. "It's going to be rough for me. I love him." Many who knew Suggs took turns on a microphone, sharing memories and paying tribute to the man known to all in attendance as a laid-back, good-hearted guy with a sharp sense of humor. But Suggs wouldn't want anyone crying at his vigil, one man told the crowd. He was the kind of person who would prefer if his loved ones "put on some Earth, Wind & Fire and pour a drink." A witness to the shooting told The Chronicle-Telegram on Friday that Suggs was on the porch with other members of the Sophisticated Gents Motorcycle Club when a fight broke out down the street and the bikers began hearing gunshots. As the group scrambled inside, Suggs was shot with one foot in the door, according to the witness. Family friends said he was transported to Mercy Health Lorain Hospital. Suggs' motorcycle was placed front and center at Sunday's vigil, a reminder of who he was and what he left behind. After all who wanted to speak finished their turns on the mic, the bike was taken for one last ride down Garden Avenue and ceremoniously pulled into a garage in the home's backyard. In a quiet moment away from the crowd, members of Suggs' family tearfully embraced as the garage door was pulled shut. Many in attendance Sunday were members of the Lorain community who Suggs forged connections with over the years. A long procession of bikers roared to the house to pay their tributes. Others at the vigil remembered Suggs for his athletic prowess, including his place on the powerhouse 1982 Lorain Admiral King High School boys' basketball team. A large number of attendees, however, knew Suggs more closely as biological family. "We have 11 siblings and he has 13 children," said Altheda Bradley, Suggs' sister. "He was friends with a lot of people. He's a good-hearted person and he's my oldest brother." Bradley, who lives in Columbus, recalled how spending time with her brother could put anyone at ease no matter what they were going through. "He could tell you a joke and have you in stitches," she said. "If you were sad, upset, all you had to do was come by and talk to Ed, get a phone call from him, and he'd make you feel better." Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.