Ohio Teen Beaten To Death Outside LeBron James' I Promise School Over Water Guns

KEY POINTS

Ethan Liming, 17, was beaten to death near the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio
He and his friends shot several people with a water gun before the fatal incident
Police are still investigating the incident, so no arrests were made

Akron, Ohio -- An unidentified group of young adults fatally beat a 17-year-old boy outside of a public elementary school funded by the charity foundation of basketball player LeBron James.

Ethan Liming was found beaten to death near the basketball courts of the I Promise School in Akron at around 10:45 p.m. on June 2, local newspaper the Akron Beacon Journal reported, citing the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office.

The white teen had suffered a blunt force head injury, according to Fox 8.

Before his death, Liming and three of his friends, one white and two Black, got into an altercation with a group of young adults, the teen's father, Bill Liming, said in a more recent report by the Akron Beacon Journal.

The other group was composed of three African-American males and one female, claimed Bill, who is the lead pastor at Montrose Zion Methodist Church. Their encounter with Ethan and his friends started as "horseplay," he alleged.

Ethan and his friends had shot several males who were playing basketball at the scene with a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster water gun, the Akron Police Department said in a statement.

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"Teenagers were being teenagers... When [Ethan] got out of the car and told people to relax, it's a joke, it's a joke, and the individuals didn't like that. One individual attacked him," Bill said.

Other members of the group Ethan encountered allegedly hit him in the head and overwhelmed him, ultimately knocking the teen to the ground.

Ethan's friends attempted to drive away from the attackers and called 911, but the group came back to "finish my son off," noted Bill.

"When Ethan was knocked out and on the ground, his two African-American friends tried to pick up his body and put him in the car to help save his life. He was still alive. He was still breathing. The people who murdered him didn't like that and drove them away. They physically assaulted and beat the white child who was there with him," he said.

Police have video evidence of the incident, but they did not want to release specific details. However, they did note that the attack did not seem race-related.

"There is nothing that we have in our possession right now, any information at all indicating race played a role in this homicide. Nothing," Akron police chief Stephen Mylett said at a press conference Wednesday.

Authorities are still investigating the incident, and no arrests have been made in connection to it. The water gun used in the incident and other pieces of evidence have been recovered from the scene.

Summit County Crimestoppers is asking anyone with information to contact Akron police at (330) 212-7102. Tipsters, who can remain anonymous, could receive a reward of up to $5,000 for leads.