AKRON, Ohio — Nearly a year-and-a-half has passed since a double homicide shocked and outraged the Akron community.
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Journei Tolbert, who was only 4 years old, and 40-year-old Johnny Gaiter were killed after shots were fired into a crowd on Princeton Street near Downtown Akron in July of 2022.
Police said there was a total of 34 bullets fired from three different guns. The crowd had gathered for a vigil to honor a teen who was killed in 2021.
Akron Police Steve Mylett, who is planning to retire from the department at the end of the year, remains frustrated that people who know the truth about the murders have not come forward.
"We've been pleading with public for somebody to come forward and we still haven't had anybody come forward and there's a 4-year-old that's dead," Mylett said. "There will be more 4-year-olds that die unless the community truly comes together and says we're not gonna tolerate this in our city."
Journei's cousin, Demetrius Travis, said he misses the little girl deeply, and her loss hits especially hard around the holidays.
"She was a bubbly, little dancing girl— very, very, very lively— loved to dance," Travis said.
Nine days before the double homicide, a barrage of bullets was fired on Talbot Avenue near McKinley Avenue. A camera in the neighborhood captured the sound of the repeated gunfire and video of the cars involved.
The June 29, 2022, video shows a Jeep Compass driving down Talbot Avenue, followed by a Dodge Challenger.
Police said moments later, three men got out of the Jeep and fired 69 shots toward the Dodge, which had two people inside of it.
The video captured the Dodge going quickly in reverse before crashing into a parked car in a driveway. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured.
"By the grace of God, they were not struck by those bullets. I don't know how, but they were very lucky," said Detective Joe Smith.
According to Smith, testing by BCI revealed one of the guns fired on Talbot Avenue was also used in the Princeton Street killings.
"We sent the cartridge casings from both scenes to BCI which was able to determine the same pistol fired .45-caliber casings through their lab testing," Smith said.
Investigators believe the shootings are part of an ongoing feud between two groups in North and West Akron.
Through leads from the public, police were able to track down the Jeep, which was spotted at both crime scenes. The vehicle was confiscated, and the owner has been identified, but no charges have been filed, police said.
With another year winding down, Travis is urging the public for tips. He said justice is way overdue for Journei and Johnny.
"I just want them to dig deep in their soul and understand. I'm pretty sure it's eating them up," Travis said. "They can relieve those nightmares by just turning himself in and just getting a weight off their shoulders."
Summit County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the killer or killers. Tipsters can remain anonymous when calling 330-434-COPS.
