Trending Topics

Officer overwhelmed by Cleveland captivity scene

When the first responding officer realized he found Amanda Berry, and she told him 2 more women were inside, it ‘felt like a bombshell’

By Thomas J. Sheeran
Associated Press

CLEVELAND — One of the first officers at the scene where three women were held captive in a Cleveland house for about a decade says the emotion of the moment was overwhelming.

Officer Anthony Espada, in response to a request from top police brass, wrote down his recollections and they were posted on a Cleveland police department blog.

Espada says it was emotionally overwhelming when he and a partner recognized Amanda Berry approaching their patrol car. When Berry mentioned that Gina DeJesus and another women were inside the house, Estrada said it felt like a bombshell.

The officer says he replays the scene in his mind every day.

The home’s owner, Ariel Castro, has been charged with kidnapping and rape.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press