Two 15-year-old boys were shot and wounded on Akron's west side Thursday evening after a large group of teenagers gathered near the Lawton Street Community Center to watch a fight, according to police. One boy was struck in the chest and the other in the upper left leg, and both were taken to the hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.
Officers responded to the 900 block of Hartford Avenue around 6:59 p.m. Sept. 17, as reported by jordanmiller.news. Police say a large group of juveniles had gathered near the Lawton Street Community Center to watch a fight, and as it moved toward Hartford Avenue and Little Street, multiple shots were fired, causing the crowd to scatter. Both teenagers were transported to Akron Children's Hospital, according to Cleveland.com.
No suspects had been identified as of Thursday night, and the shooting remained under investigation. Detectives from the Akron Police Department's JAM Unit and Crime Scene Unit responded to the scene to interview witnesses and process evidence, the outlet's report notes.
A Summer of Shootings Involving Akron Teens
Thursday's shooting adds to what has been a difficult stretch for Akron, which saw multiple shootings involving teenagers or young adults over the summer. Fifteen-year-old Josiah Harris was fatally shot June 30 in the 1200 block of Packard Drive while trying to pull his dog away after the dog attacked a 14-year-old, who fired toward the dog, according to authorities cited by Cleveland 19 News. The 14-year-old was later charged with negligent homicide, carrying concealed weapons, improperly discharging a firearm and tampering with evidence, and was held at the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center, per the Akron Beacon Journal.
Weeks later, 19-year-old J'Air Bell, a North High School rising senior quarterback, was found shot to death in a car. Bell was a passenger when two suspects opened fire on the vehicle in the 700 block of Marie Avenue around 2 p.m., Cleveland 19 News reported.
City Officials and Police Respond to Rising Concerns
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik has said youth violence and gun access are among the most serious challenges facing the city. Around Fourth of July weekend, Akron police arrested 21 people, including 18 who were underage, according to cleveland.com.
A 2025 report from the Children's Defense Fund identified gun violence as a leading cause of death for young people in Ohio, per reporting from Spectrum News 1. That outlet also noted that Akron police have launched initiatives aimed at reducing youth violence by connecting teens with sports, mentorship and other community activities, though the scale of Thursday's gathering underscores how large groups of teenagers continue to congregate around unsanctioned fights across the city.
As of Thursday night, no arrests had been reported in connection with the Hartford Avenue shooting, and investigators had not released a motive or suspect description.
