Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@kingjames) & Action5News
A 17-year-old teen was beaten to death in the parking lot of a school founded by LeBron James.
On June 2, Ethan Liming was “knocked unconscious and brutally assaulted” while playing basketball with friends in the parking lot of the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio.
Liming’s friends called 911 for help after being involved in a fight with another group.
According to police, Liming was found unconscious before being pronounced dead at 11:00 pm. The Summit County Medical Examiner says he died from blunt force head injury. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
The LeBron James Family Foundation shared a statement on Twitter on June 3.
The two-part tweet read, “Our community is everything to us. We were devastated to learn of the overnight incident that saw a life lost near our school. We are grieving with our community over another senseless act of violence.”
“Our @IPROMISESchool campus is safe and secure as we continue to do everything we can to support our students, families, and the entire Akron community,” the statement concluded.
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The Los Angeles Lakers star shared his prayers and condolences to the family of Liming on Twitter, quoting the foundation’s statement.
James wrote, ”Our condolences goes out to the family who lost a loved one!! My the heavens above watch over you during this tragedy! Pray for our community!”
I Promise School is an elementary school, which opened in July 2018, is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation and specifically aimed to support at-risk children. The school launched with 240 students in third and fourth grade, but classes should expand from first to eighth grade this year.
According to CNN, the school provides free tuition, transportation, uniforms, a food pantry, GED, and job placement services. They also offer guaranteed education at the University of Akron to every graduate student.
“We want every kid to walk through this school to be inspired, to come away with something. Something where they can give back, James said.