Kent police have arrested a Stow teenager for the shooting death of a Kent State University student during a robbery Sunday afternoon.
Ty Kremling, 17, a Stow-Munroe Falls High School junior, was charged with delinquency by aggravated murder at the Portage County Juvenile Justice Center. Prosecutors could not be reached immediately on Monday morning to discuss the charge.
The victim in the case is Nick Massa, 18. According to his Facebook profile, Massa graduated from Westlake High School last year. A university spokesperson said Massa lived on campus and was a freshman studying managerial marketing.
The shooting occurred at about 4:15 p.m. Sunday at Ryan Place Apartments, a popular off-campus housing complex for students on East Main Street.
According to 911 calls released by Kent police, Massa was visiting friends at the apartment complex when three teenagers with guns and bandanas over their faces came into the apartment and demanded money from the occupants. The robbers threatened to shoot if the occupants did not cooperate, the caller said.
“My friend said, ‘You’re not going to shoot,’ and then they [expletive] shot him,” the caller told a dispatcher.
The shooter and his accomplices fled afterward, and the caller’s roommate identified the shooter as Kremling to the dispatcher, according to police.
A second caller identified the getaway vehicle as a green Dodge truck in shabby condition. She said the vehicle fled east toward Walmart.
None of the others involved in the robbery have been arrested. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is ask to contact police at 330-673-7732.
University spokesman Eric Mansfield said counseling services were made available to students, staff and faculty members to help them grieve Massa’s passing.
“We are all saddened today at the loss of one of our own, and we offer our condolences to his family and friends,” he said. “Nothing prepares you for something like this, and we will pull together as one Kent State family for the tough times ahead.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.