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| Photo Credit: AP. |
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — At least 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 at least 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 car 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 of the boys was thrown from the car and the other
partially ejected. Their mother was not hurt.
It wasn’t
clear what caused the crash, but Akron police Lt. Michael Miller said
“horseplay” is not uncommon among some drivers in funeral processions in the
city.
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 want to strike a balance and yield to grace as it relates to
overly disparaging the grieving mother.”
Seconds
after the crash, a gunshot rang out, and a man who was driving another 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 third vehicle was involved. A 19-year-old
suffered a gunshot wound not considered life-threatening, and investigators
were trying to determine his role, if any, in the crash.
Complicating
the investigation was a second shooting that occurred minutes later, within
sight of the crash scene. More than a dozen shots were fired, but authorities
said that no one was injured in that gunfire and that the two shootings
appeared to be unrelated.
Officials
identified the 12-year-old killed in the crash as Tymar Allen, of Akron, and an
autopsy Friday determined he died of blunt force injuries suffered in the
crash. His brother remained hospitalized Friday. His name and the extent of his
injuries have not been disclosed.
It wasn’t
clear what ties the boys or anyone else involved in the crash may have had with
the 17-year-old boy for whom the procession was held.