Shelter director killed by ax-wielding veteran

Dick Russ

Updated: 2/11/2010 10:01:29 AM
Posted: 2/10/2010 10:50:25 AM

CLEVELAND -- A woman who dedicated herself to serving homeless veterans was killed Wednesday morning by one of her clients who attacked her.

Rita Ciofani, 59, of Austinburg in Ashtabula County, died at Huron Hospital, shortly after being attacked with a camping ax by a client who was in the process of being discharged from the shelter to receive more specialized treatment at another location.

When Cleveland Police arrived about 9:30 a.m. at the Volunteers of America Veterans Resource Center on East 152nd Street, Raymond Ice, 48, of Akron, was standing over Ciofani, threatening others with the ax and a knife.

When he turned toward police officers and charged them, he was shot several times.

Ice, an Air Force veteran whose last known address was in Akron, later died. Ice had pleaded guilty in 2008 in Cuyahoga County to vandalism and attempted assault on a police officer.

"He was discharged on bad terms," said shelter resident Jeff Chapline, "and he became irate at the administrator here, and he had an ax on him. He attacked her with the ax."

"He did have some issues that he was working on," said Mike Salois, director of programs for the Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio. "We had come to a point working with the VA where we felt he needed services from another program that we were trying to get him in."

Salois said this was the first incident at the facility since it opened in the Collinwood neighborhood about 8 years ago. "This is something you could never think of or imagine could happen."

Ciofani's family, which has requested privacy, issued the following statement.

"She dedicated her life to helping people. She will be missed. The family is now mourning together."

President and CEO of Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio, Dennis Kresak, told WKYC those associated with the East 152nd Street facility were stunned with sorrow, hours after the incident.

"I've had to address both staff and residents of the program, and there are varying degrees of grief over this incident and shock, and disbelief," Kresak said.

Kresak said Ciofani's lifetime of service work was deeply appreciated and effective. "It seems to be that she did give her life for this kind of service," he told WKYC. "And again, she was a very dedicate professional. We will miss her."

Cleveland Police spokesman Sgt. Sammy Morris said police first tried shocking the attacker with a Taser, but it was ineffective.

When the man with the weapons turned toward officers, they fired at least twice.

Ciofani was fatally injured in the attack. She had been director of the Resource Center since last April.

Formerly Ciofani was the executive director of the Lake County Committee on Family Violence. She held that position for 17 years.

Staff and volunteers at Forbes House in Painesville, which is run by the Lake County Committee on Family Violence, said Ciofani "was a wonderful person."

In a statement issued to WKYC they said, "Rita was paramount for developing awareness of the issue of domestic violence in our Lake County area. We lost a beloved member of our Forbes House family and a vital part of our community."

"More than an executive director, Rita was a friend, a leader, and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her daughters and her entire extended family."

From: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=130523&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClevelandHeadlinesFromWkyccom+%28Cleveland-area+News+from+WKYC.COM%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo