A 17-year-old boy has died after an alleged road rage shooting, according to Akron Police Lt. Michael Murphy.
Police were called to East Tallmadge Avenue at Route 8 South around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday on reports of a shooting.
Murphy called the shooting a case of road rage. He said two brothers, 15 and 17, were aggressively driving and tailgating a 28-year-old driver.
According to police, the 28-year-old man and his girlfriend were driving on East Tallmadge Avenue when a 15-year-old boy pulled up next to his vehicle and fired shots.
Police said the 28-year-old man returned fire and struck a 17-year-old boy who was in the car with his 15-year-old brother.
The 17-year-old was taken to Akron Children's Hospital in critical condition, but later succumbed to his injuries hours later.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the 17-year-old as Honore Sommerville, of Akron.
"It appears as though this was a self-defense shooting as he (the 28-year-old) was responding to shooting back at a vehicle that had fired shots at him," Murphy said.
News 5's Bob Jones spoke on the phone with the 28-year-old man. He told Jones he shot through his windshield after shots were fired at him.
"I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around what happened. It was senseless and stupid and crazy," the 28-year-old told Jones.
Akron resident Keasha Mizell said it's hard to grasp why this had to escalate from road rage to violence.
"I don't know the situation at that moment; what the 15-year-old was thinking; what the 17 and 28-year-old... but in general, we have to pray so we don't hurt each other," Mizell said.
The 15-year-old has been charged with felonious assault, motor vehicle theft and tampering with evidence.
Police said he admitted to throwing the gun out of the car after the shooting.
"Bullets don't have people's names on them. This is something that could have impacted someone else by being struck by gunfire. Someone else could have been shot, injured," Murphy said.
Residents hope the frightening incident sends a message to others— to keep their cool behind the wheel.
"Somebody starts shooting, and then I get shot. We don't want innocent bystanders to get involved in other people's situations, so we have to think a lot of times about other people besides us," Mizell said.
Akron Police are investigating the shooting.
