Akron Police released the 911 call that was patched through to them on June 2, the tragic day 17-year-old Ethan Liming succumbed to his injuries after he was beaten to death. The junior high school student was involved in a fight that took place outside of the I Promise school, a high school founded and funded by LeBron James in Akron, Ohio.
According to Fox News, the call came through around 10:42 p.m. One of Liming’s friends made the call and could be heard on the other end of the line as he told the 911 operator that his friend got “knocked out” and was unconscious. "Our friend just got knocked out. We don’t know what to do."
The operator went on to ask if the fight was going on, and voices in the background suggested the male individuals on the scene were trying to settle the altercation. The caller could be heard saying “ Yeah, it’s okay though. It’s cool now.” The police report stated one male from the background said, “Hey, man. We’re sorry, man. We didn’t mean it.”
When the operator asks if the Liming was breathing, the caller affirmed this. However, this was followed by what seemed to be a commotion in the background as another male voice spoke: “I’m not trying to fight, though,” – and then the call was cut. Questions now have been raised on whether the fight was truly over or if the altercation turned for the worse.
The cops arrived at the scene just within three minutes after the call was cut and Liming was already found unresponsive on the pavement. Authorities performed life-saving measures on the teenager but were unable to revive him. Liming was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police documents state that suspects Deshawn Stafford and Tyler Stafford were able to grab hold of Liming’s SplatBall gun and at the same time commandeered Liming’s car and “drove it to the other end of the parking lot” just as the teenager’s friends were intending to take him to the hospital. The attorney representing the defendants, Jonathan Sinn said that while his clients did take away Liming’s vehicle, their intention was to keep the other group from leaving the scene until the cops arrived. Sinn added that by the time the cops arrived, his client and the other suspects fled the scene. Akron Police Chief Steve Mylette said there was nobody on the scene when authorities came around.
The teenager’s death was the result of an altercation between Liming’s friends and a group of men playing basketball on a court outside the school. Liming and his friends were driving around randomly shooting a SplatRBall gun and shot at the players. The men ran after Liming and his friends and caught up with them by the parking lot which led to a violent brawl. Based on previous defense claims, the suspects said they thought they were being fired at with a real fully automatic gun. The victim’s father said he had been hit by the same toy gun before and that the gel bullets felt like being hit by a “rubber band snap”. The gun sells for $68 dollars online at Walmart.
