Man who threatened to shoot people in Tower City during live broadcast charged

CLEVELAND — A 21-year-old man is facing charges after a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted him this week for allegedly threatening to shoot people on air in Tower City.

Defendant George Ivery Jr. is charged with one count of terroristic threats and two counts of inciting panic, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.

Ivery allegedly made the threats during an Instagram live broadcast on November 9. He is also accused of pointing a gun at a roadway, shooting into the air in Lakewood and threatening people with a rifle while walking in parks in Lakewood and Cleveland.

The Cleveland Police Department said its downtown service unit was notified of a livestream that featured an unknown masked man making threats.

Because the man was believed to be wearing a mask, authorities were unable to immediately identify him. In addition, police said he attempted to evade law enforcement by moving to different locations. Despite this, authorities said he was identified some time later after they used the Real Time Crime Center and “other investigative techniques.”

Authorities say Ivery has a “history of recording himself and posting to his Instagram account.”

“George Ivery Jr. demonstrated live on social media that he poses an unstable threat to the citizens of our region,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley.

He is currently being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday for arraignment.

CONNECTED: A man was arrested in Cleveland for allegedly live-streaming threats to shoot people.