Authorities say three arrests have been made in connection with the death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming at I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. On June 2, Liming was found beaten to death after an alleged altercation with young men playing basketball on the school grounds involving a water gun.
The US marshal's northern Ohio task force announced the arrests of Deshawn Stafford Jr., 20, Tyler Stafford, 19, and Donovan Jones, 21, via a press release. All three young men, residents of Akron, claim they were acting in self-defense, whereas police reportedly disagree, according to News 5 Cleveland.
The incident on the grounds of I Promise School reportedly started as a teen prank.
Bill Liming, the late teen's father, said that what happened began as "horseplay," according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Police indicated that Ethan Liming and three of his friends got out of their car and allegedly shot toy water guns at four people playing basketball on the school's grounds, the Beacon Journal reported. Two of the teens in Ethan Liming's friend group "ran towards" the basketball players. The players began to run away but then turned around and confronted Liming and his friends, leading to a fight that led to Liming being "beaten to death." He was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. on school grounds.
Family members of the young men arrested claim they were acting in self-defense.
Stafford's aunt, Quida Malcin, told News 5 Cleveland that if someone was shooting at her and she didn't know what it was, she would react as well. However, it would not go that far.
Police said that despite what led up to the fight, there is no justification of what happened to 17-year-old Liming that night. Officials also are speaking out to condemn "senseless acts of violence" such as these, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett noted in a news release.
Officials believe there is no excuse for how things escalated.
Lt. Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department said there is no reason the incident should have gone that far, noting that Ethan Liming's initial use of the Splat gun did not justify what happened to him that night. The three young men face charges of murder and felonious assault, and Jones also has a charge of disrupting public service, according to News 5 Cleveland.
According to reports, a $30,000 reward helped the investigation.
Akron police noted that the reward for any information regarding Liming's death made a huge difference in how the community responded. Officials also reported that it was residents who helped to identify the three suspects who were arrested.
"We thank the members of the community for their outpouring of support that helped investigators throughout this investigation. We will continue to follow any leads that will result in bringing those responsible for Ethan’s death to justice," Mylett said.
Liming's family is thankful arrests were made.
His mother, Jennifer Liming, along with his father, Bill Liming, hope the three arrests will lead to justice for their son, but both parents know that nothing will bring him back to them. They shared that the 17-year-old athlete had dreams of going to college and playing sports — things that will no longer be possible.
To honor their son, they hope to set up an athletic scholarship in his memory.
