đ 14-Year-Old Rakeem Blair Jr. Di-es Days After Being Sh0t in the Head â Family Left Heartbroken
The family of a 14-year-old boy says that he has died in the hospital several days after he was shot in East Price Hill.
Family members of Rakeem Blair Jr. confirmed to WLWT that the teenager had died over the weekend after doctors determined him to be brain dead after he was shot in the head on Tuesday.
Family members say that the incident began when Blair and a few other juveniles were throwing rocks on the evening of Aug. 18 at a vacant building on the 3700 block of Warsaw Avenue.
A confrontation is then reported to have occurred between the shooting suspect and the group of juveniles, escalating into violence.
Metro bus driver Briona Akins says that she was present on Warsaw Avenue at the time of the shooting while on her route. Upon spotting Blair lying on the ground, she says that she jumped into action to perform first aid on the boy until first responders arrived.
“He was still taking breaths,” Akins recalled. “He was still trying to keep his eyes open. So I was just hoping that what I did would help in any way possible. So yeah, like I said, it was pretty heavy.”
A short time later, Blair was rushed from the scene by first responders to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he remained in critical condition this week until his death.
Police have not yet released any information about a possible suspect in the shooting, with the individual said to have fled the scene by the time officers arrived.
CPD’s investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Blair’s aunt, Khalilah Starks, tells WLWT that her nephew will be deeply missed by her family.
“He was a very loving, energetic funny kid,” Starks said. “He was the youngest of his momâs children but the way he took care of and looked out for his mom made you think he was older. Rakeem was very intelligent and a natural born hustler at heart.”
Family members also shared that Blair had just recently attended his second boxing practice at nearby Lord’s Gym in East Price Hill. Fellow juvenile boxers at the gym say that they were shocked to learn about the shooting.
“It was crazy,” said youth boxer Dorian Cody. “I was just with him. I never would have thought that it would happen to him.”
“When I found out it was real, I was just shocked,” said Kahji Carter, another youth boxer.
A GoFundMe has since been set up for Blair’s family to cover funeral and burial costs, which can be accessed here.
Blair’s family also shared several photos of him with WLWT on Saturday, which can be viewed below.
