AKRON, Ohio — Two people have been arrested in the death of 19-year-old Zion Neal more than a month after he was shot at the skate park on Derby Downs Drive.
Akron police announced new details in the case on Monday, identifying the suspects as follows:
- 24-year-old Julian Fort
- 23-year-old Nathan Hendrix
Both were arrested Friday afternoon at separate locations and booked into the Summit County Jail. They have been charged with murder and multiple counts of aggravated robbery.
Their arrests come after police say investigators "determined that Fort and Hendrix had a role in the circumstances that led to the shooting death."
Police say it was around 1:45 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 when officers responded to a Barberton hospital amid reports that a male was dropped off with an apparent gunshot wound. That victim, now identified as Neal, was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police say the vehicle that dropped him off had left before officers could intervene.
In preliminary information, police initially reported that detectives determined the victim was with a group of individuals at the skate park around 1 a.m. when he was shot multiple times.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story on Jan. 16, 2023.