Ohio teen beaten to death near Akron school, police say

AKRON, Ohio — An Ohio teen was found beaten to death Thursday night near an Akron school, authorities said.

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Ethan Liming, 17, was discovered at about 10:45 p.m. EDT in a parking lot near the basketball court at the I Promise School, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Liming’s identity was confirmed by the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to the newspaper.

According to police, Liming was with a group of friends who pulled into the parking lot of the school, WJW-TV reported. Shortly after arriving, Liming and his friends became involved in a fight with at least three other males who were playing basketball at the property, according to the television station.

According to police, Liming was “knocked unconscious and brutally assaulted” during the fight, WOIO-TV reported.

The teen’s friends called 911, and Liming was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:05 p.m, according to the Beacon Journal.

LeBron James’ I Promise School is a part of the Akron Public School District, with students from third through seventh grades attending. The school ended its 2021-2022 year on May 25.

The LeBron James Family Foundation expressed its condolences on social media.

“Our community is everything to us. We were devastated to learn of the overnight incident that saw a life lost near our school,” the foundation wrote on Twitter. “We are grieving with our community over another senseless act of violence. Our campus is safe and secure as we continue to do everything we can to support our students, families, and the entire Akron community.”

According to Akron Public Schools, Liming was a rising senior and student leader at Firestone Community Learning Center in Akron. He was in the school’s Academy of Design.

“Our Akron Public Schools family expresses its deepest condolences and offers its prayers to the family and friends of a student who lost his life last night,” Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack said in a letter to faculty and staff. “The death of a student affects all of Akron Public Schools. Ethan’s passing is, sadly, one of many we have experienced during this school year.

“May we all pause a moment from our daily pressures to give thanks for the lives of these children. May we forever find ways to keep our memories of them alive. Each of these losses reminds us about how precious, and sometimes fleeting, life can be.”

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