FAIRLAWN, Ohio — A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Fairlawn apartment building Sunday, stunning a community that has not seen a homicide in more than four decades.
Investigators were following several leads, but had not made any arrests as of Monday evening.
It marked the first murder in Fairlawn since 1978.
"That's 44 years. That's a long time so we'd like to keep our city as safe as possible. We'd like to get these people off the street as quick as possible," said Fairlawn Police Chief Terrance Wisener.
Officers responded Sunday at approximately 1:45 p.m. to a shooting in the 100 block of Buffington Road.
The victim, identified as Tyler Flinn, of Akron, was found in the parking lot of an apartment building with multiple gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at 2:03 p.m. Sunday. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head/neck. The manner of death was ruled a homicide by the Summit County Medical Examiner.
His family remembered Flinn as a laid back guy who enjoyed traveling and hamburgers.
"He was a very good, young man. He was a great father, great son, friend and brother," said his mother January Flinn. "It has broken everyone's heart like you took a big portion out of our family and we'll never be the same."
Relatives are heartbroken that Flinn's 4-year-old son must now grow up without a dad.
"When I walked back in the house from everything, he asked me like, 'Why did my dad get shot?' I didn't know like what to say back to him," said his sister Kenedy Flinn.
Family members said Flinn was riding around with his cousin in a pickup truck when someone began chasing them.
Wisener said the victim got out of the truck in the apartment parking lot and was approached by two men.
"A gun battle ensued and that's where he was shot," Wisener said.
Witnesses reported that two men fled the scene in a white, mid-sized car after the shooting.
"That's a fluid situation. It's still under investigation so we can't release any information on that, but we're following a number of leads," the chief said.
Flinn's family planned a vigil for Monday night and prayed that someone would come forward with information that would lead to the killer or killers.
"He didn't deserve any of this in any way, shape or form. This is unbelievable," January Flinn said.
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