Life in prison for man convicted of killing Akron teenager in drive-by shooting

SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - A 19-year-old man convicted of a deadly drive-by shooting in Akron was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday afternoon.

Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kelly McLaughlin said Adarus Black is eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

Earlier this month, a jury unanimously found Black guilty of killing Na’Kia Crawford, 18, in June 2020.

Crawford was sitting in her vehicle with her grandmother at a stoplight at North Howard and North Streets on June 14, 2020, when Black shot multiple rounds into the car.

Crawford was struck several times and died from her injuries. Her grandmother was not injured.

Akron police believe Crawford was shot in a case of mistaken identity.

Crawford planned to attend Central State University in Wilberforce in the fall of 2020.

Police said Black was on the run for several years, until he was arrested by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force on Feb. 9 in Atlanta.

Members of the task force said they learned Black was living in Atlanta under a fake name and later positively identified him as he left an apartment in the 100 block of Greyfield Lane in the city.

Black was in possession of an AR-type rifle at the time of his arrest, according to the U.S. Marshals.