Stephen Mylett, the Police Chief of Akron, stated last week that the department’s recent investigation into the fatal beating of Ethan Liming, aged 17, discovered absolutely no evidence that the killing was in any way a hate crime.
Ethan, who is white, was reportedly beaten to death next to the basketball courts of politcal activist and NBA star LeBron James’ I PROMISE School out in Akron back on the 2nd of June. In the wake of the incident, three black males — Deshawn Stafford Jr., 20; Tyler Stafford, 19; and Donovon Jones, 21– were taken into custody in correlation with the death of Ethan.
Mylett “confirmed new details Wednesday and said there is no evidence the murder was a hate crime,” stated a recent report from Cleveland 19.
“I am happy to report that today, officers with the Akron Police Department, made several arrests in connection with the death of Ethan Liming,” stated the police chief in a release.
“We thank the members of the community for their outpouring of support that helped investigators throughout this investigation,” he went on. “We will continue to follow any leads that will result in bringing those responsible for Ethan’s death to justice.”
“While I believe the news of the arrests will be welcomed by Ethan’s family and loved ones, we all recognize that nothing will bring Ethan back,” stated Mylett. “Violence in this country must stop. We are losing too many lives to senseless acts of violence.”
Ethan’s father, Bill Liming, stated to News 5 Cleveland this past week that his son’s two friends, who are both black, attempted to rescue the 17-year-old while he was still alive, but were run off and one was assaulted by the perpetrators, who then “finished my son off.”
“It’s been said that they abandoned Ethan and it’s not true,” stated Bill, a reverend. “They did everything they possibly could to help Ethan. They called 911 to get help. And when Ethan was knocked out on the ground, his two African-American friends tried to pick up his body and put them in the car, to help save his life. He was still alive at that point. He was still breathing.”
In a recent statement, the entire Liming family expressed their gratitude to the community.
“Our whole family is beyond thankful for the help the community has given us,” stated the family. “Throughout this whole process we’ve seen horrific things, but the good we’ve seen is just so much brighter.”
“We love our son, and we miss him dearly,” they concluded.