AKRON, Ohio — Police confirm a 12-year-old boy is dead and another was badly injured in a car crash Thursday afternoon in Akron.
Authorities say the vehicle, a Chrysler 200, was taking part in a funeral procession just before 3 p.m. when it collided with a Chevrolet Impala also in the line on South Arlington Street near 6th Avenue. Both children were either ejected or partially ejected from the car, and the Chevy driver ran away from the scene.
The 12-year-old died from his injuries at Akron Children's Hospital. The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Tymar Allen.
The second child, just 6 years old, is currently in critical condition at the same location. The driver of the Chrysler — the mother of one of the boys — was unharmed.
"We believe one of the cars may have been operating in some type of reckless fashion," Akron Police Lt. Michael Miller said. "One of the cars may have tried to make a turn when the collision occurred, and the children were impacted by that."
Following the crash, police believe a separate argument broke out between people who were in some way connected to the incident and at least one gunshot was fired. A 19-year-old man later drove himself to Summa Health Akron City Hospital with non-life-threatening injures, but officials have not yet verified his exact connection to the matter. There was another report of gunshots nearby just minutes later.
The crash and shooting occurred about a block away from Archbishop Hoban High School, and the building was placed on lockdown for a short time before the all-clear was eventually given. South Arlington Street was also closed in both directions between 5th and 7th Avenues, with residents being asked to avoid the area.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the crash, how fast the cars were going and who fired the shots. Miller says it's not unheard of for there to be reckless behavior during a funeral procession, but the tragic incident Thursday shows how dangerous that can be.
On Friday, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan released a statement on Twitter regarding the incident.
"We've seen, too often, recklessness taking place during these processions," he added. "They're in route to memorialize someone very dear to them, and in that fashion, you see mayhem, at times."
The incident occurred in Ward 5, which Akron City Councilwoman Tara Mosely represents. She knows the family involved and was at the scene, calling for the community to do better and put the guns down.
"Here you have a family that is already grieving, coming from a funeral, and for this to happen and have so many children injured for something that probably could have been avoided," Mosely said. "The gunfire, the back and forth, it is affecting not only this whole entire community; you're affecting families and you're affecting families forever, not just the victim's family, but whomever that assailant is, and a lot of these people are interconnected with one another."
No arrests have been made as of yet.
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