In Akron, Ohio, a 17-year-old was found beaten to death near the basketball courts of the LeBron James-founded I Promise School.

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teen as Ethan Liming. Liming’s body was found shortly before 11 PM in a parking lot near the school.

According to Akron police, the young victim was with his friends, who pulled into the school’s parking lot. The group allegedly got into a physical altercation with at least three other males on the property playing basketball.

Liming was knocked unconscious, and the group continued to attack the unconscious teenager. The group who was with Liming rushed home and called 911. Akron Police and medics arrived shortly after finding Liming unresponsive with severe injuries.

 

Stephen Mylett, Akron Police Chief, and Mayor Dan Horrigan held a press conference on Wednesday relating to the teenager’s death. Chief Mylett said there had been assumptions that Liming’s death was race-related, but they do not have any information confirming that.

“There were assumptions made that this was a race-related incident,” Mylett said. “There is nothing that we have in our possession right now, any information at all indicating race played a role in this homicide. Nothing. I want to reassure the community, that if we do receive information that race played a role in this, as in any homicide, we will consult with our prosecuting attorneys and add additional charges.”

Authorities explained that they believe Liming was riding around with his friends in a vehicle with one or more reportedly using a SPLATRBALL Water Bead Blaster against random people. Police believe the teens approached the alleged suspects and shot them with the water gun, ultimately leading to Liming’s death. Police also said they had video evidence of the incident but haven’t released any specific details.

The official Twitter account of the LeBron James Foundation released a statement, saying that they are devastated to learn about Liming’s death and reassuring that the school’s campus is safe and secure.

“Our community is everything to us. We were devastated to learn of the overnight incident that saw a life lost near our school. We are grieving with our community over another senseless act of violence,” the statement read. “Our @IPROMISESchool campus is safe and secure as we continue to do everything we can to support our students, families, and the entire Akron community.”

 

James, the founder of I Promise school, also released a statement on his Twitter account on behalf of Liming’s death, sending his condolences to Liming’s family.

“Our condolences goes out to the family who lost a loved one,” James said. “My the heavens above watch over you during this tragedy! Pray for our community!”

 

Cyndi Liming, the step-mother of Ethan, asked for help on Twitter to find the people responsible for Ethan’s death.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips in the case.

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