Three Arrested in Ohio Teen’s Beating Death in Parking Lot of LeBron James’ ‘I Promise’ School

Three men have been arrested in connection to the brutal beating death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming in a parking lot at the Lebron James-founded I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, after Liming and friends allegedly drove around shooting a water gun at people on June 2.

In a press release, the U.S. Marshals Service announced it had arrested Deshawn Stafford Jr., 20, Tyler Stafford, 19, and Donovan Jones, 21, in Akron on Saturday morning after homicide warrants were issued for the three. Both Staffords were arrested at a residence in the 500 block of North Howard Street, while Jones was arrested at a home in the 200 block of Crosby Street. The three suspects “are currently being held on charges of murder and felonious assault, with Jones also accused of disrupting public service,” WKYC reported.

“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,” said Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett. “Violence in this country must stop. We are losing too many lives to senseless acts of violence.”

On Wednesday, the Akron Police Department said the teen and others in his vehicle were riding around “shooting a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster at objects and possibly unsuspecting people” before driving onto the I Promise School’s property at 400 W. Market Street.

As Breitbart News previously reported:

According to Ethan’s father, Bill Liming, his son, and three other friends, one white and two black, went to the parking lot near the I Promise School to plan the rest of their evening.

 It was there that, according to Liming, his son and his friends encountered four other individuals — three black males and one black female. The two groups engaged in what Liming described as “horseplay.”

“Teenagers were being teenagers,” Bill told the Akron Beacon Journal. “I don’t want to say too much about the investigation. But apparently some of his friends who were with him were fooling around in the parking lot and some other people didn’t like it.”

Liming said his son was attacked by two members of the group after exiting his vehicle to deescalate the conflict.

“He was fighting back for his life. A third individual came up behind him and overwhelmed him. And they knocked him out on the ground. His friends tried to help him,” he said.

His body was discovered on the school’s property, and Liming’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force head trauma, Breitbart News noted, 

“My son Ethan Liming was murdered by three African American males and a female who stood by and did nothing,” Bill Liming asserted.

In the U.S. Marshals’ release, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan called Ethan’s death “senseless and tragic,” while also thanking the federal agency for its help in arresting the suspect. 

The I Promise School opened in 2018 and “is supported by the Lebron James Foundation,” Breitbart News noted.