Report: Teenager beaten to death near basketball court at I Promise School in Akron, Ohio

An Akron, Ohio teenager was beaten to death on Thursday night near the basketball courts of the I Promise School established by LeBron James.

17-year-old Ethan Liming, was pronounced dead approximately 20 minutes after he’d been found in a parking lot near the courts.

Liming, who attended Firestone Community Learning Center in Akron, had apparently pulled into the parking lot with friends. That group subsequently began fighting with at least three individuals playing on the courts.

The group with Liming then left the scene and quickly called 911 to report the scuffle. Akron police later indicated that Liming had been “brutally assaulted” and was left unconscious by the beating.

Liming is the fourth student in the Akron Public Schools district to pass away in the past two weeks. One of those students was shot to death, while a pair of siblings died in a house fire.

James officially opened the I Promise School in 2018, shortly after he had joined the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. The school was established in an effort to aid underserved communities in James’ hometown of Akron.

After hearing of the tragedy, James and the LeBron James Family Foundation each expressed their sympathies toward Liming and his family.

The 2021-22 school year at I Promise School ended on May 25, with James making a surprise visit to congratulate the students.

Liming was a member of the Firestone football and baseball teams and was a member of the school’s Academy of Design. A candlelight vigil will be held in his memory on Friday night at the school’s baseball field.