A fight that started when a toy water pistol was fired near an Ohio school established by NBA superstar LeBron James’ foundation ended in a 17-year-old boy being beaten to death, police say.
Ethan Liming had been driving around Akron with two friends on the evening of 2 June firing the SplatRBall Water Bead Blaster at “objects possibly unsuspecting people,” when the group pulled into the parking lot of James’ I Promise School at around 10.40pm.
One of them fired the toy gun at a group of four people playing basketball on the nearby courts.
A fight between the groups erupted, and Mr Liming, who had been sitting in the car, got out to try to defuse the situation, his father Bill told ABC5 Cleveland.
The senior student at Firestone Community Learning Center may not have realised how grave the situation was, his father said, relaying a conversation he’d had with a detective.
“Ethan still thought it was horseplay when he got out of the car and was trying to tell people, ‘It’s relaxed. It’s just a joke. It’s a joke.’ And the individuals didn’t like that,” Bill Liming told ABC5 Cleveland.
“One individual attacked him. Ethan still tried to tell them it’s just a joke. And then another individual came up behind them, struck him in the head.”
Ethan Liming was found unconscious on the ground, police said. He was declared dead at the scene, with the cause of death blunt force trauma to the head.
On Wednesday, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he had “lost his life in a senseless act of violence”, adding that the teenager “did not deserve to die.”
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan asked for anyone with information about those responsible to come forward.
“This type of violence in our community has ripple effects that touch each person, including myself, in profound ways, and I know the city of Akron is in mourning because of this tremendous loss.” he said in a statement.
The I Promise School was established by James in 2018 as a partnership between his foundation and Akron Public Schools. It was closed at the time of the fatal attack for summer holidays.
The day after his death, the Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted: “Our condolences goes out to the family who lost a loved one!! May the heavens above watch over you during this tragedy! Pray for our community!”
In a statement, the Lebron James Family Foundation tweeted that it was “devastated”.
“We are grieving with our community over another senseless act of violence.”
“Our I PROMISE School campus is safe and secure as we continue to do everything we can to support our students, families, and the entire Akron community.”
