AKRON, Ohio — A 6-year-old girl, who was shot while sitting inside a vehicle in Akron earlier this month, has died from her injuries, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Wednesday.
Around 1:15 p.m. on September 10, Mar’Viyah Koran Jones was shot while sitting inside a vehicle near Copley Road and Orlando Avenue.
Detectives say two men had exchanged gunfire near in a car wash paarking lot.
Mar’Viyah was among six children and an two adults who were in an SUV at the time of the shooting. A nearby witness said they heard eight to 10 shots fired.
Police said a 4-year-old girl was injured when she was grazed by a bullet.
Two men are now facing additional charges in connection with the girl's death.
Marqualle Clinkscales, 23, has been charged with three counts of felonious assault, murder and possession of drugs. He allegedly fired the shots into the car that killed Mar'Viyah.
The second suspect, Corey Jemison, 39, who was inside the same car as Mar'Viyah, has been charged with murder, receiving stolen property and six counts of endangering children.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan released this statement following her death:
“The news that six-year-old Mar’Viyah Jones has succumbed to the injuries she suffered as the victim of crossfire is truly heartbreaking. My prayers and condolences go out to the family in this incredibly difficult time. While APD has arrested those believed to be responsible for her death, nothing will ever bring Mar’Viyah back.
I want to impress upon our entire community the toll this senseless violence is taking on our neighborhoods, and innocent lives. As Mayor, I am working to deploy new strategies to interrupt this cycle of shootings and build on the work of the Youth Violence Prevention Plan, with some key community partners. We hope to have more to announce on these developments in the coming weeks. Because the violence must stop. There is a role for everyone in this community to help end this cycle of violence that has claimed far too many of our precious children.”
The cased marked the sixth murder of a teenager or younger in city over the past four months.
One of the victims, 8-year-old Mikayla Pickett, was shot and killed after gunfire erupted at a birthday party last month on Roselle Avenue. No one has been arrested.
Her mother, Shoskamika Risper, along with other relatives and pastors are organizing a Save Our Children Walk from the area where the girl was killed to the mayor's office. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday.
"It's just horrifying that kids out here are losing their lives because people want to be doing stuff to each other," Risper said. "My life is totally different without her. I'm heartbroken. It's just hard."
The concern over violence has gotten to the point where children, like Mikayla's 13-year-old brother Josiah Risper, are making urgent pleas to the public.
"Just put the guns down," he said. "Put the guns down and stop the violence."
