AKRON, Ohio — Police have made one arrest and are looking for a second suspect after an Akron mother, 24-year-old Paige Calich, was shot to death at an apartment complex in the Summit Lake neighborhood on Sunday.
Suspects
According to authorities, Corvette Pope, 25, is in custody in connection with the death of Calich. Akron Municipal Court records state that Pope is charged with aggravated murder.
A second suspect, 19-year-old Denzel Pope, has also been identified by police. He's wanted on a charge of aggravated murder, and a warrant has been filed for his arrest. He is not currently in custody, and police say that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
The shooting
Police were called to an apartment at 14 Socrates Place around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, they found Calich in a doorway. She had been shot multiple times. She was transported to the hospital, where she later died.
Multiple family friends and neighbors told News 5 that Calich's two small children were home at the time of the shooting.
The kids were not hurt physically, but Akron Police Captain Michael Miller said the emotional toll is heart-wrenching.
"It's painstakingly horrific and such a loss for her family, for everyone that knew her," Miller said. "To be a mother and a young mother— her life was taken senselessly (and that) has a profound impact on children."
Noelle Jones, who lives in the apartment, was distraught over the deadly shooting. Her kids play with Calich's kids.
"For whoever is responsible for something like this, just know that you took somebody who is a mom, somebody that has kids, somebody that had a future," Jones said.
Investigators believe Calich may have been involved in some sort of altercation Saturday, hours before the shooting.
The specific details of that altercation and whether it led up to the woman's death aren't clear at this time, but it's part of the ongoing probe.
Community mourns
Late Monday evening, the parking lot at Firestone Park Elementary School turned pink to honor Calich during a candlelight vigil.
“There was nothing that she wasn’t. She was everything,” said Calich's best friend, Chelsea Jones. “It’s just really, really hard for us right now.”
While Calich is gone, her best friend, Chelsea Jones, said Calich's light will forever shine bright in their hearts.
“They didn’t just take my best friend, but they took the best mother I know,” said Jones.
Now, Jones said she and the rest of Calich's village will keep fighting until justice is served.
“It will never bring her back. But at least her family can sleep at night knowing that this person is held accountable for taking someone so important to everyone,” said Jones.
How you can help
Anyone with information on the murder is urged to call the Akron Police Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.
"We ask the community for their help because this is a young mother that lost her life essentially for no reason," Miller said.
