Akron Police detectives and U.S. Marshals arrested three teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old on Wednesday morning in three different locations.
Detectives arrested 18-year-old Jaiden Trone, as well as a 14- and 15-year-old. Each has been charged with aggravated murder.
According to the release, officers responded to a complaint of a shooting near the intersection of South Rhodes Avenue and Oberlin Court on Friday, June 13, at 5:31 p.m.
When police came, they discovered 15-year-old Javion Fort with a gunshot wound.
Witnesses in the area told 19 News that the child was near a fence in an area with dense bush.
One of his brothers was among the several 911 callers.
At one point, the victim’s brother begs cops to assist and dispatch someone, and then he says he’s dead.
Less than a month later, all three known suspects are in custody.
We’re extremely thankful for our ongoing partnership with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and their work in apprehending the individuals involved in this incident. These arrests highlight the amazing work that our Major Crimes Unit detectives do every day. We are thankful to have made arrests on this case and are hopeful that this helps to bring some closure to the family.
Chief Brian Harding
Trone is being held at the Summit County Jail, while the juvenile suspects are at the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center.
Today our city is grieving the loss of a 15-year-old boy whose life was taken by gun violence. Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and people impacted by this senseless tragedy. I cannot overstate how deeply this affects us all. The Akron Police Department is fully committed to finding those responsible and bringing justice to this family. We will not rest until we have answers.
Chief Brian Harding
Just a few weeks ago, Akron’s mayor and police chief reported that violent crime rates had dropped by 50% in the first quarter of the year.
However, with the warmer weather and students out of school, Akron, like many other cities, is working to get guns out of the hands of juveniles and put an end to the violence.
“Our number one priority is reducing violent crime here in the City of Akron, specifically gun violence amongst our young people, and that’s why we’ve implemented our initiatives related to community engagement and how that really starts from the top down. The entire department has taken on this initiative to really begin to build relationships within the community and foster trust between the two. Really just try to build that bridge and make people feel comfortable working with and talking to the police. The better those relationships are, the better outcome that we can provide in the future,” Lt. Murphy said back in June.