Topline: What first looked like a deadly crash in Barberton is now being treated as a homicide case involving three teenagers charged with murder.
Published: June 26, 2026 7:00 am ET
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Benjamin Hutchison (via Schlup-Pucak & Wilson Funeral Home)
BARBERTON, OH — Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with murder after police said 20-year-old Benjamin Hutchison of Akron was fatally shot before the vehicle he was in crashed into a utility pole in Barberton.
Authorities said Barberton police and EMS were called around 10 p.m. June 18 to the 300 block of South Van Buren Avenue for a crash. When first responders arrived, they found Hutchison lying on the sidewalk while bystanders performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Summit County Medical Examiner identified Hutchison and ruled that he died from a gunshot wound to the torso. His death was classified as a homicide. Two other passengers in the vehicle were hurt and taken to a hospital.
According to reporting from Cleveland 19 and News 5 Cleveland, investigators executed arrest and search warrants over the weekend at two addresses in Barberton, where two 15-year-old boys were taken into custody. Police said a third arrest followed in Akron with help from the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, where a 16-year-old boy was arrested.
All three juveniles were charged with murder and booked into the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center.
Barberton police said the case remains under investigation alongside the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Barberton Police Department at 330-745-2181.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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What first looked like a deadly crash in Barberton is now being treated as a homicide case involving three teenagers charged with murder.
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Published: June 26, 2026 7:00 am ET
Benjamin Hutchison (via Schlup-Pucak & Wilson Funeral Home)
BARBERTON, OH — Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with murder after police said 20-year-old Benjamin Hutchison of Akron was fatally shot before the vehicle he was in crashed into a utility pole in Barberton.
Authorities said Barberton police and EMS were called around 10 p.m. June 18 to the 300 block of South Van Buren Avenue for a crash. When first responders arrived, they found Hutchison lying on the sidewalk while bystanders performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Summit County Medical Examiner identified Hutchison and ruled that he died from a gunshot wound to the torso. His death was classified as a homicide. Two other passengers in the vehicle were hurt and taken to a hospital.
According to reporting from Cleveland 19 and News 5 Cleveland, investigators executed arrest and search warrants over the weekend at two addresses in Barberton, where two 15-year-old boys were taken into custody. Police said a third arrest followed in Akron with help from the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, where a 16-year-old boy was arrested.
All three juveniles were charged with murder and booked into the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center.
Barberton police said the case remains under investigation alongside the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Barberton Police Department at 330-745-2181.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Bystanders Tried to Save Man After Vehicle Crashes Into Utility Pole, But Investigators Say He Had Already Been Shot
What first looked like a deadly crash in Barberton is now being treated as a homicide case involving three teenagers charged with murder.
By Jacob Charles
Published: June 26, 2026 7:00 am ET
Benjamin Hutchison (via Schlup-Pucak & Wilson Funeral Home)
BARBERTON, OH — Three teenagers have been arrested and charged with murder after police said 20-year-old Benjamin Hutchison of Akron was fatally shot before the vehicle he was in crashed into a utility pole in Barberton.
Authorities said Barberton police and EMS were called around 10 p.m. June 18 to the 300 block of South Van Buren Avenue for a crash. When first responders arrived, they found Hutchison lying on the sidewalk while bystanders performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Summit County Medical Examiner identified Hutchison and ruled that he died from a gunshot wound to the torso. His death was classified as a homicide. Two other passengers in the vehicle were hurt and taken to a hospital.
According to reporting from Cleveland 19 and News 5 Cleveland, investigators executed arrest and search warrants over the weekend at two addresses in Barberton, where two 15-year-old boys were taken into custody. Police said a third arrest followed in Akron with help from the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, where a 16-year-old boy was arrested.
All three juveniles were charged with murder and booked into the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center.
Barberton police said the case remains under investigation alongside the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Barberton Police Department at 330-745-2181.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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