Akron police have identified three alleged suspects in the fatal shooting of Na’Kia Crawford, the recent high school graduate who was gunned down in her car while running errands with her grandmother.
According to WKYC, on Thursday (June 18), Akron Police Chief Deputy Jesse Lesser announced that warrants have been issued for Jaion Bivins, Adarus Black and Janisha George. Black, a 17-year-old who was allegedly the shooter, is facing a charge of murder. Bivins, an 18-year-old from Akron, has been charged with obstruction and tampering with evidence. George, a 24-year-old from Tallmadge, faces a charge of obstruction of justice.
According to authorities, Bivins is cooperating with police and is expected to turn himself in. They believe that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity and Crawford was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police have also located and recovered the vehicle which was allegedly used during the shooting, a 2015 Chevy Camaro.
News of the alleged suspects being identified has reached Akron native and NBA superstar LeBron James. He took to Twitter to share his gratification of the new details emerging in this case. “Music to Our ears for US who love and bleed the city of AKRON! #JusticeForNakiaCrawford,” he tweeted. “Now we need a conviction and sentencing to the FULL AMOUNT!!! #JusticeForNakiaCrawford.”
Earlier this week, James took to Twitter to bring national attention to Crawford’s case. “Nah we ain’t letting it slow down!!” he wrote as a response to a tweet about getting justice for Crawford. “No Sir, Not Me. Somebody know something for sure. #JUSTICE4Nakia.”
According to News 5 Cleveland, on June 14, Crawford suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries. Her grandmother was also in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, but was uninjured. Multiple reports initially said that the family believed that the shooting was racially motivated.
Check out photos of the alleged suspects below.