CLEVELAND — De’Lawnte Hardy — the 25-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter last summer on July 4 — appeared at a hearing via Zoom Monday morning, where Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Ashley Kilbane ordered the approval of administering forced medications while he undergoes treatment at a behavioral healthcare center in Columbus.

It comes months after Hardy was deemed incompetent to stand trial last September and ordered to undergo in-patient treatment.

Judge Kilbane ruled the forced involuntary administration of drugs “is medically appropriate for this defendant’s condition” after a doctor testified Hardy refused to take the medications because of side effects.

“The medication is likely to render the defendant competent to stand trial, and it is substantially unlikely to have side effects that will interfere significantly with the defendant’s ability to assist counsel on conducting a trial defense and that less-intrusive means are unlikely to achieve the same or substantially similar results,” according to Judge Kilbane.

When asked for a potential timetable for an update after the administration of medication begins, the doctor said it will take “at least a few weeks” to see if the drugs are effective.

The prosecution had some questions about why it took so long for the facility to file a motion with the court requesting the forced administration of medications.

“We are six months into his treatment, correct?” the prosecution declared. “And we have a year to restore this defendant who’s charged with aggravated murder? But yet here we are, since November he hasn’t taken any medications, correct? So what has taken so long for your hospital to petition this court for medications?”

In addition to accusations in officer Ritter’s murder, Hardy is also accused in the shooting death of his own grandmother, Beatrice Porter.

Hardy was previously indicted by a grand jury on the following charges:

• Three counts of aggravated murder
• Two counts of attempted aggravated murder
• One count of murder
• Four counts of felonious assault
• Two counts of aggravated robbery
• Two counts of receiving stolen property
• One count of having weapons while under disability
• One count of theft
• One count of resisting arrest
• One count of misdemeanor theft

The accusations against Hardy began on June 28 when he was staying with Porter — his grandmother — at her residence near Reindeer Avenue and Claremont Boulevard in Garfield Heights.

“While inside her residence, he stole her firearm and shot her in the back of the head,” according to the prosecutor’s office. “Afterward, he fled the scene on his grandfather’s bicycle. A family member arrived at the residence the next morning around 1 a.m., found the victim, and called the police.”

Porter was taken to the hospital and a felonious assault warrant was issued for Hardy’s arrest.

Days later, it was around 1 a.m. on July 4 when Cleveland police responded to a call about Hardy being at a residence near East 80th Street and Wade Park Avenue.

When officers arrived at the scene, they placed a spotlight on the residence.

“During the next couple minutes, officer Ritter instructed Hardy six times over a loudspeaker to exit the residence out the front door with his hands up,” according to the prosecutor’s office. “Hardy then began to flee out the back door of the residence on his grandfather’s bicycle with two swords and the firearm he stole from his grandmother.”

Several officers then attempted to arrest him.

“During the struggle, Hardy fired four shots at multiple officers,” according to the prosecutor’s office. “The first shot struck officer Ritter, the second shot nearly missed another officer and the third shot was in the direction of two other officers.”

Officer Ritter was taken to the hospital where he died a short time later. Hardy’s grandmother died hours later that same day around noon.

Hardy was arrested at the scene.

In a previously released statement, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said Hardy “caused unimaginable damage and grief to two families, our law enforcement community and our entire region” in the course of a week.

A memorial service for officer Ritter was held in Cleveland on July 8.

“Today we gather to honor a true American hero, officer Jamieson Ritter,” said Cleveland Division of Police Chief Annie Todd. “Jamieson was a dedicated public servant, a loving family member, a cherished friend. He served our community with unwavering commitment and courage, embodying the highest ideals of law enforcement. In his years of service, Jamieson demonstrated what it means to truly be dedicated to the safety and well-being of others. His bravery in the face of danger of not only protecting our city, but also protecting our country during his service and deployment with the Ohio Army National Guard. His compassion for those in need, and his relentless pursuit of justice were evident in every action he took. He was not just an officer, he was a guardian of our community, a beacon of hope and a symbol of strength. As his dad, Jon, said to me, he received his paycheck from the city, but he worked for our citizens.”