A minimum of two cars crashed during a funeral procession for a teen who died of a suspected drug overdose, killing a 12-year-old boy and critically injuring his 6-year-old brother, police in Ohio said.
Two episodes of gunfire followed the crash, wounding not less than one person.
A marked police cruiser was leading the procession through Akron on Thursday afternoon when the collision occurred.
The boys were riding in a automotive driven by their mother; witnesses reported that the vehicle had been moving erratically and that passengers had been hanging out of windows. Police said one among the boys was thrown from the automotive and the opposite partially ejected. Their mother was not hurt.
It wasn’t clear what caused the crash, but Akron police Lt. Michael Miller said “horseplay” isn’t unusual amongst some drivers in funeral processions in town.
The mother was expected to face charges stemming from the crash, though it wasn’t clear Friday what counts she might face. Miller said the investigation continues, noting that “we would like to strike a balance and yield to grace because it pertains to overly disparaging the grieving mother.”
Seconds after the crash, a gunshot rang out, and a person who was driving one other involved vehicle ran off and has not been found, police said. It wasn’t clear who fired the shot.
Authorities said they were looking into whether a 3rd vehicle was involved. A 19-year-old suffered a gunshot wound not considered life-threatening, and investigators were trying to find out his role, if any, within the crash.
Complicating the investigation was a second shooting that occurred minutes later, close by of the crash scene. Greater than a dozen shots were fired, but authorities said that nobody was injured in that gunfire and that the 2 shootings gave the impression to be unrelated.
Officials identified the 12-year-old killed within the crash as Tymar Allen, of Akron, and an autopsy Friday determined he died of blunt force injuries suffered within the crash. His brother remained hospitalized Friday. His name and the extent of his injuries haven’t been disclosed.
It wasn’t clear what ties the boys or anyone else involved within the crash can have had with the 17-year-old boy for whom the procession was held.