AKRON, Ohio — A Cleveland couple, dedicated to preventing violence, is mourning the death of their 21-year-old grandson, who was murdered in Akron over the weekend.
Nathan Hubbard, a father of two small children, was shot inside a vehicle on Winton Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. Saturday. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General, where he died.
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His grandparents, Andre and Kat Dodson, have operated "Civilians Against Violence" in Cleveland since 2019. The organization uses prevention and intervention programs to keep kids and young adults away from crime.
"Giving them the tools that there's other things out here for you to do— you don't have to be involved in crime," Kat Dodson said.
Andre Dodson spent time in a juvenile lock-up for drug offenses and has dedicated his adult life to talking to young people and stressing not to make the same mistakes he did.
"Violence is a disease, but there is a cure. If we come together— united we stand, divided we fall— and love one another as ourselves, guess what? It could stop a lot of this stuff," he said.
The tragic irony of losing a loved one to gun violence is not lost on the heartbroken couple.
"We just wish that his life wasn't stolen," Andre Dodson said.
Kat Dodson said Hubbard was the "heartbeat of the family" and loved his kids, playing video games and sports.
"You don't just lose that one person. The whole family is interrupted for the rest of their lives," she said.
Hubbard was supposed to come to a birthday party for his grandpa on Saturday in Cleveland, but he never showed up.
"Nate was coming to the party. We get the call around 6:38 p.m. In the call, they said he was shot and killed," Andre Dodson said.
Akron police body camera video, obtained by News 5, shows officers racing to the scene after 911 calls reported the shooting.
In one of the calls, a man who said he was with the victim reported a possible robbery.
"They robbed us," he said. "They shot him. He's shot. He's shot right now."
Akron police said the victim was in the driver's seat of a Kia Sportage when he was shot in the chest. Lt. Michael Murphy said the victim may have tried to drive away after the shooting, but he crashed into a house.
No other injuries were reported, and police don't have any suspects at this time. They are reviewing surveillance video in the neighborhood in an effort to identify people who were involved in the murder.
"It's very important for us to solve this murder because we have somebody who is capable of doing this to a young man that's still out on the loose," Murphy said.
Summit County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that solves the killing. Hubbard's loved ones are urging anyone with information to come forward.
"There's a dangerous person on the streets. If they had that much hatred in their heart to do it to our grandson, what would they do to your grandson?" Kat Dodson said.
Meanwhile, the couple will continue their mission to keep other people away from crime.
"This, of course, is going to make us go harder," Kat Dodson said. "Get more kids involved, get them off the streets and let them know there's another way."
Anyone with information on Hubbard's murder is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP.
