Akron police plan to re-evaluate downtown safety after a shooting early Sunday morning left a 26-year-old Akron man dead and a woman wounded.
Officers responded to a shots-fired call at South Main and Cedar streets about 12:30 a.m. They learned that Davell Lemar Brock, 26, was driving a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta when a man wearing all dark clothes approached the vehicle and fired several rounds into the car, according to Akron police.
Marlissa Burton, 25, of Akron, was in the car and also was struck by bullets. Brock and Burton drove themselves to Cleveland Clinic Akron General, where Brock later died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Burton is expected to recover, according to police.
Capt. Daniel Zampelli, a police spokesman, said the department has been working with Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) and bar owners to address problems that have been happening downtown, most often around 2:30 to 3 a.m. when the bars close. He said many of the bars have hired off-duty officers and on-duty officers are stationed in this area around closing time.
Zampelli said the Sunday shooting was outside of the immediate bar area and involved people driving into the area and walking back to their vehicles.
“We need to re-evaluate and see what needs done to prevent another incident from happening,” he said.
Suzie Graham, the president and CEO of DAP, said the police department and city prosecutor’s office plan to meet with neighborhood businesses this week to determine what else can be done to maintain safe conditions on the streets.
“We strive to work in conjunction with Akron Police, neighborhood property owners, residents and business owners to ensure a safe environment for the community to enjoy. Downtown has a history of safety that is a result of the efforts of the city and neighborhood working together,” Graham said.
Graham said DAP employs an off-duty officer in the evenings Thursday through Saturday to oversee all off-duty officers employed in the district.
Akron police thought they had the suspect in custody shortly after Sunday’s shooting at Cedar and Main, but that turned out not to be the case.
Tyrell Robinson, 30, was observed by officers running from the scene. Officers found a loaded .45-caliber gun in his pocket. They initially thought he was the suspect in the homicide, but further investigation determined he wasn’t the shooter because he had the wrong caliber weapon, according to the daily report.
Robinson was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and having a weapon under disability, which means he wasn’t permitted to have a weapon because of a prior criminal conviction. He also had warrants for a probation violation, escape and a parole violation. He was taken to the Summit County Jail.
Police described the suspect as a black male, age 20 to 25; 5 feet, 8 inches; and 150 to 170 pounds. He has short black hair and was wearing black shorts and a dark blue or black hoodie, according to the incident report.
Police asked that anyone with information on the shooting call the detective bureau at 330-375-2490.
Staff writer Theresa Cottom contributed to this story. Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.
