$45,000 Reward Offered For Information On Na'kia Crawford's Murder

Akron officials on Tuesday announced a reward of $45,000 for any information regarding the murder of 18-year old Na’kia Crawford earlier this week.

“Today I’m humbled to say that the Akron community is stepping up in a very big way to try to help give Na’kia and her family the justice she so desperately needed in this case,” Mayor Dan Horrigan said.

Crawford was waiting at a red light Sunday with her grandmother when a second car pulled up beside her vehicle and fired multiple shots into the side of her car. Crawford died at a hospital later that day. Her grandmother was not injured.

“I and our entire community are mourning the loss of Na’kia Crawford,” Horrigan said. “Her senseless killing has rightfully impacted each and every one of us in a very personal way.”

Summit County Crimestoppers is offering the reward for information, funded in part by Na’kia’s family, Horrigan said, and a donation from Summa Health CEO Dr. Cliff Deveny.

“There’s so much negative going on in the world,” Deveny said at the Tuesday press conference. “I thought that we wanted to bring attention to this, in a way that we could get even the smallest amount of information to get her justice.”

No traffic cameras were in place at the intersection, said Deputy Police Chief Jesse Leeser. Police are seeking information about a black Chevy Camaro caught on surveillance video in the area, he said, and detectives are still canvassing the area.

“We are asking the public to please provide information about this murder,” Leeser said. “Somebody knows something.”

The department has been flooded with calls asking about the status of the case, Leeser said, which pulls them away from work. The police department is asking people to only call in with new information, he said.

Crawford graduated from North High School in Akron just days ago. The school district is offering support to families and students impacted by her death, Superintendent David James said in an emailed statement.

“To make it to her high school graduation, with plans for her future, especially during this difficult time of COVID-19, just stings that much more,” James wrote. “The heartache is real for those of us left behind to pick up the pieces.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan also issued a statement on Crawford’s death.

“While this murder is still under investigation and we have more questions than answers at the moment, the truth is that Na’kia Crawford should still be with us today,” Ryan said. “While we don’t yet know the motive of this heinous crime, there is no question that the plague of racism runs deep in every community across the United States – including our own.”

Akron police are encouraging anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Detective Bureau at (330) 375-2490 or Summit County Crimestoppers at (330) 434-2677.