Second boy, 6, dies Friday, a day after 12-year-old killed in funeral crash

A 6-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries a day after his 12-year-old relative died following a crash during a funeral procession Thursday in Akron.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office on Friday morning identified the 12-year-old as Tymar Allen, an Akron resident. The 6-year-old's name was not released Friday night.

A 19-year-old man was wounded in a shooting during an altercation following the crash Thursday, police Lt. Michael Miller said. Additional shots were fired nearby a short time later.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan released a statement Friday morning that he was "devastated" by the incident and that he urged people to remain calm.

"As a community, we must do better. We have to put our differences aside and put Akron's youth first. We have to think about the consequences of our actions because a simple lapse in judgement or a moment of anger can sometimes lead to tragic results," Horrigan wrote.

"I'm urging our community to take pause. There has been enough tragedy and far too much death. We must let cooler heads prevail."

The 6-year-old boy had been in critical condition Friday morning when the mayor issued his statement.

The boys' mother was the driver of one of vehicles, Miller said, but she was not injured.

The 19-year-old shooting victim was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators are working to determine what role he played in the accident.

'It was nuts.' What happened on Arlington Road?

Andy Benson, who lives on East Crosier Street, told the Beacon Journal he walked down the street after he heard the crash between the Chrysler 200 and a Chevy Impala on nearby South Arlington Street.

Benson said police and rescue units had arrived when shots rang out a second time.

“Everybody was shouting ‘get down’ and were screaming,” he said. “It was nuts.”

The scene of the second shooting was actually two blocks away on the corner of Whitney Avenue and East Crosier but within sight of the accident.

“I’m just in shock,” Benson said.

The crash happened at 2:55 p.m. at South Arlington Street and Sixth Avenue, Miller said.

South Arlington between Fifth and Seventh avenues was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash.

Police were told people were hanging out of car windows during the procession before a two-car crash, which fully ejected one of the children and partially ejected the other, Miller said.

Charges are likely to be filed against the mother who was driving one of the cars, but Miller said the investigation continues and "we want to strike a balance and yield to grace as it relates to overly disparaging the grieving mother."

In the moments after the crash, an unknown person fired one shot amid an altercation, Miller said, with police finding one bullet casing.

Investigators also found several shell casings at the second scene where nobody was injured.

"We believe it was all related," he said.

Miller said the male driver of the car that collided with the one the children were riding in ran from the scene. He has not been apprehended.

Police believe a third vehicle may also be involved.

Funeral was for East High School student

The Beacon Journal has learned the funeral was for a 17-year-old Akron teen and was being handled by Rhoden Memorial Home, which had a representative at the scene Thursday. The funeral home declined to comment Friday, but its website showed its only service Thursday afternoon was for the teen who attended East High School.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office told the Beacon Journal the 17-year-old died of a suspected overdose, but final autopsy results are pending.

Miller said there was an Akron police car leading the long funeral procession for an Akron teen, but it was far ahead of the vehicles that crashed.

Miller said unfortunately it is not uncommon for "horseplay" among some drivers in funeral processions in the city but investigators are still working to sort out what led to Thursday's tragic collision.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Horrigan calls for calm as 12-year-old funeral crash victim identified