GREEN, Ohio — A 23-year-old man is dead with another person hurt following a shooting and subsequent crash on I-77 in Summit County Thursday evening.
The Summit County Sheriff's Office says the incident occurred in Green a few miles north of the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. Witnesses said a passenger in a pickup truck heading south fired several shots at a black SUV, resulting in the SUV driver being struck by multiple bullets. The black SUV then veered into the northbound lanes, where it struck a Mercedes that had not been involved in the original altercation.
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The drivers of both the SUV and Mercedes were taken by ambulance to Summa Akron City Hospital, where the Lincoln driver died from their injuries at 6:52 p.m. The victim has since been identified as Marquise Banks of Akron, according to an update from the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office on Friday.
The condition of the Mercedes driver is not known at this time.
The Summit County Sheriff's Office says it is still investigating what happened leading up to the shooting.
“Not to say this was a road rage incident, obviously we are still looking into it, but if we hear several reports of road rage incidents, don’t engage the person if someone is angry, let them be angry," Inspector Bill Holland of the Summit County Sheriff's Office told 3News' Emma Henderson. "If it comes to a point where your safety is in jeopardy, contact law enforcement. Let us come out.”
As a result of the crash, all lanes on both I-77 North and South were closed between Lauby Road and state Route 241 (Massillon Road).
The suspect and pickup truck fled the area without being identified, and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is urged to immediately call the Summit County Sheriff's Office's detective bureau at 330-630-6317.
Besides the airport being in the vicinity of the shooting, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Browns and New York Jets was also taking place about 10 miles south in Canton.