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Cleveland police homicide detectives are investigating after a 27-year-old man, accused of trying to rob men shooting dice, was fatally shot.

(cleveland.com file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A man was fatally shot Saturday afternoon following a robbery attempt, police said.

Cleveland police officers were flagged down about 3:45 p.m. by residents who said a man was shot on the 2300 block of East 100th Street, police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. Police found a 33-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his leg.

The injured man explained to police that he was shot in an attempted robbery and that he had fired back, hitting a 27-year-old man who had driven away in a silver SUV, Ciaccia said. The man had a handgun and showed his concealed-carry permit.

Police found the silver SUV crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of East 97th Street and Quebec Avenue, Ciaccia said. The driver, who suffered gunshot wounds to his chest and legs, was taken to University Hospitals by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.

The deceased man has not yet been publicly named. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office will release his identity once family has been notified.

Detectives learned from the 33-year-old injured man that he and several other men were shooting dice in the parking lot of Bolton Elementary School when the 27-year-old shooter approached them in a robbery attempt, Ciaccia said. The injured man and the robber shot at each other, and both were struck by gunfire.

The injured man was treated for his wound and released from University Hospitals, Ciaccia said. He is not in police custody.

Cleveland police homicide detectives will continue to investigate and will present the case to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Ciaccia said.

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