Deborah Pearl

SOLON, Ohio -- A Twinsburg mother was driving to work early Saturday when she was fatally shot by a rifle-wielding man after their two vehicles crashed at a busy intersection.

Deborah Pearl, 53, was killed by a 29-year-old North Ridgeville man who shot her with a 5.56-millimeter rifle, police said.

Officers arrested the man at the scene. His identity will not be released until Monday, after he's formally charged, Solon police Lt. Bruce Felton said.

"Word's can't explain what we're going through," said Pearl's son, Derryo Pearl. "This is the roughest patch a human being can go through. I've gone through tough times before, but it wasn't like this."

Pearl left her home early Saturday to go to work at South East Harley Davidson in Bedford Heights, her son said.

Pearl, who also has an address in Warrensville Heights, was driving north on Richmond Road about 7:20 a.m.

The North Ridgville man was driving his Jeep east on Solon Road. He ran a red light at the intersection of Richmond Road and crashed into Pearl's Ford Taurus, Felton said.

The impact of the crash pushed Pearl's Taurus several feet east onto Solon Road. The man's Jeep flipped several times and landed on its roof about 50 feet away from Pearl's car.

A witness who gave a written statement to police told cleveland.com that the man got out of his Jeep with a rifle and Pearl got out of her car.

The witness, who did not want to be named because of the traumatic nature of the incident, said Pearl put her hands in the air. The man then shot her with a rifle several times.

"I can't get her screams out of my head," the woman said.

A woman was fatally shot after a car crash in Solon.

Another witness, Jamirra Brabson, described hearing four shots, then a woman scream. Brabson said she heard three more series of at least three shots.

"Then it was just silence," she said.

Another woman who called 911 said she saw the man firing several shots and walking up and down the street carrying the rifle after the shooting.

Joe Goodwater Jr., who lives in the neighborhood, said he walked up to the intersection and saw the suspected shooter lying on the pavement shaking. He said the man appeared to be injured from the crash, including what he said appeared to be road rash.

"He wasn't saying anything," Goodwater said. "When I made contact with him he was shaking. I don't know what was going through his mind."

Police found Pearl lying in the roadway. An ambulance took her to University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center, where she died, according to police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

Solon police then arrested the suspected gunman without incident, Felton said.

Felton said said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. He said investigators so far believe the two never met before the crash.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting Solon police with analyzing the crime scene. More than 22 evidence markers could be seen in the intersection Saturday morning.

The intersection and at least one home near the intersection were blocked with police tape for hours while police and state agents conducted the investigation.

Derryo Pearl said his mother raised three children, all now adults, while working various jobs over the years. He said she worked at Harley Davidson and a nearby restaurant.

Derryo Pearl said he was notified of the incident while he was on his way to work. He said family members are flying in from as far as North Carolina. Along with her children and grandchildren, Pearl leaves behind a longtime boyfriend, her son said.

The 34-year-old cellphone sales manager said he and his brothers have become good fathers because of the way their mother raised them.

"She disciplined us when she needed to discipline us," Derryo Pearl said. "She made us go to school every day. She worked hard and taught us that was the only way to succeed in life."

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.