Chief Stephen Mylett, of the Akron Police Dept, stated last week that the department’s inquiry into the beating death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming revealed no evidence it was a hate crime.
On June 2, Ethan, a white boy, was beaten to death near LeBron James’ I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio. Since the occurrence, 3 black males — Tyler Stafford, 19; Donovon Jones, 21; and Deshawn Stafford Jr., 20 — have been arrested in connection with the teens’ murder.
According to Mylett, “new details” were revealed this week. “There is no evidence the homicide was a hate crime,” Cleveland 19 reported.
“I can announce that today, officers of the Akron Police Department arrested several individuals in connection with the murder of Ethan Liming,” the police chief stated.
“We thank the community for its outpouring of support, which assisted investigators in this investigation. We will keep on pursuing any leads that may bring the people that are responsible for Ethan’s death to justice,” he concluded.
“While I am confident that the news of the arrests will be appreciated by Ethan’s loved ones and family, we all understand that nothing can replace Ethan,” Mylett continued. “We must put an end to senseless acts of violence in this country. Too many people are dying as a result of senseless violence.”
News 5 Cleveland reported that Ethan’s father, Larry Liming, said his son’s two black friends tried to help the 17-year-old when he was still breathing but were chased away and one of them was assaulted by the attackers, who then “finished killing my child.”
“It has been reported that they abandoned Ethan, but it is not true. They did everything they could to assist Ethan. They called 911 for assistance. And when Ethan was on the ground unconscious, his 2 African-American friends attempted to pick up his body and drive him to get medical care, in order to try to save his life. He was still breathing at that time.”
In a recent statement, the Liming family expressed their appreciation to their neighborhood.
“We are so grateful for the assistance from the community,” the family said. “Throughout this entire process, we’ve seen some truly terrible things, but we’ve also witnessed a lot of good.”
They also said, “We adore our child and miss him dearly.”