Akron police say 2 students in van had guns
UA students accused of shooting at officers
By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Akron police say they found guns, masks and gloves in the van of a University of Akron basketball player accused of firing shots at officers during a traffic stop.
Rydell Brooks, 20, a UA sophomore, and Edward Davis Jr., 20, also a UA student, are each charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Akron Municipal Judge Eve Belfance set bond for the two at $1 million. They remain in the Summit County Jail.
Brooks is also charged in another case with driving with a suspended license and having an SUV with excessively tinted windows.
His grandmother, Katherine Brooks, asked the public to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered. She helped raise Brooks and said he has never been in trouble before.
''He's definitely a good person, but I really don't know anything about what happened,'' she said.
Brooks and Davis are represented by Akron attorney Jon Sinn.He said he is gathering facts in the case.
''All I know is that both these young men have strong ties to the community and to the university and they have little in the way of prior involvement with law enforcement,'' Sinn said. ''At this point, we're going to wait for the completion of the police investigation before we make any decisions.''
Police Lt. Rick Edwards said five guns, two ski masks and gloves were collected by police from the men and the 1997 Dodge Caravan they were in.
According to Edwards, as officers approached the minivan they had stopped on Bellows Street around midnight Saturday, shots were fired at them.
Police could not say exactly how many shots were fired.
The minivan had temporary tags and police considered the vehicle suspicious, prompting the traffic stop, Edwards said.
No one was injured in the gunfire. Police said they did not return fire.
Police said Brooks fled from the vehicle and was caught a block away at Cole Avenue at Marcy Street after a short chase.
Brooks, a 2006 Buchtel High School graduate, transferred from Niagara University and joined the Zips last year.
He sat out the 2007-08 season and has eligibility to play the next three seasons. He is a non-scholarship player.
Head coach Keith Dambrot declined to comment.
A 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard, Brooks led Buchtel to three consecutive City Series championships and was the City Series Player of the Year in his junior and senior years. As a freshman, he helped Niagara qualify for the NCAA Tournament and win its conference tournament.
<HR color=#cccccc SIZE=1>Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
<!--endclickprintinclude-->Akron police say they found guns, masks and gloves in the van of a University of Akron basketball player accused of firing shots at officers during a traffic stop.
Rydell Brooks, 20, a UA sophomore, and Edward Davis Jr., 20, also a UA student, are each charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Akron Municipal Judge Eve Belfance set bond for the two at $1 million. They remain in the Summit County Jail.
Brooks is also charged in another case with driving with a suspended license and having an SUV with excessively tinted windows.
His grandmother, Katherine Brooks, asked the public to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered. She helped raise Brooks and said he has never been in trouble before.
''He's definitely a good person, but I really don't know anything about what happened,'' she said.
Brooks and Davis are represented by Akron attorney Jon Sinn.He said he is gathering facts in the case.
''All I know is that both these young men have strong ties to the community and to the university and they have little in the way of prior involvement with law enforcement,'' Sinn said. ''At this point, we're going to wait for the completion of the police investigation before we make any decisions.''
Police Lt. Rick Edwards said five guns, two ski masks and gloves were collected by police from the men and the 1997 Dodge Caravan they were in.
According to Edwards, as officers approached the minivan they had stopped on Bellows Street around midnight Saturday, shots were fired at them.
Police could not say exactly how many shots were fired.
The minivan had temporary tags and police considered the vehicle suspicious, prompting the traffic stop, Edwards said.
No one was injured in the gunfire. Police said they did not return fire.
Police said Brooks fled from the vehicle and was caught a block away at Cole Avenue at Marcy Street after a short chase.
UA students accused of shooting at officers
By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Akron police say they found guns, masks and gloves in the van of a University of Akron basketball player accused of firing shots at officers during a traffic stop.
Rydell Brooks, 20, a UA sophomore, and Edward Davis Jr., 20, also a UA student, are each charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Akron Municipal Judge Eve Belfance set bond for the two at $1 million. They remain in the Summit County Jail.
Brooks is also charged in another case with driving with a suspended license and having an SUV with excessively tinted windows.
His grandmother, Katherine Brooks, asked the public to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered. She helped raise Brooks and said he has never been in trouble before.
''He's definitely a good person, but I really don't know anything about what happened,'' she said.
Brooks and Davis are represented by Akron attorney Jon Sinn.He said he is gathering facts in the case.
''All I know is that both these young men have strong ties to the community and to the university and they have little in the way of prior involvement with law enforcement,'' Sinn said. ''At this point, we're going to wait for the completion of the police investigation before we make any decisions.''
Police Lt. Rick Edwards said five guns, two ski masks and gloves were collected by police from the men and the 1997 Dodge Caravan they were in.
According to Edwards, as officers approached the minivan they had stopped on Bellows Street around midnight Saturday, shots were fired at them.
Police could not say exactly how many shots were fired.
The minivan had temporary tags and police considered the vehicle suspicious, prompting the traffic stop, Edwards said.
No one was injured in the gunfire. Police said they did not return fire.
Police said Brooks fled from the vehicle and was caught a block away at Cole Avenue at Marcy Street after a short chase.
Brooks, a 2006 Buchtel High School graduate, transferred from Niagara University and joined the Zips last year.
He sat out the 2007-08 season and has eligibility to play the next three seasons. He is a non-scholarship player.
Head coach Keith Dambrot declined to comment.
A 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard, Brooks led Buchtel to three consecutive City Series championships and was the City Series Player of the Year in his junior and senior years. As a freshman, he helped Niagara qualify for the NCAA Tournament and win its conference tournament.
<HR color=#cccccc SIZE=1>Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
<!--endclickprintinclude-->Akron police say they found guns, masks and gloves in the van of a University of Akron basketball player accused of firing shots at officers during a traffic stop.
Rydell Brooks, 20, a UA sophomore, and Edward Davis Jr., 20, also a UA student, are each charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
Akron Municipal Judge Eve Belfance set bond for the two at $1 million. They remain in the Summit County Jail.
Brooks is also charged in another case with driving with a suspended license and having an SUV with excessively tinted windows.
His grandmother, Katherine Brooks, asked the public to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered. She helped raise Brooks and said he has never been in trouble before.
''He's definitely a good person, but I really don't know anything about what happened,'' she said.
Brooks and Davis are represented by Akron attorney Jon Sinn.He said he is gathering facts in the case.
''All I know is that both these young men have strong ties to the community and to the university and they have little in the way of prior involvement with law enforcement,'' Sinn said. ''At this point, we're going to wait for the completion of the police investigation before we make any decisions.''
Police Lt. Rick Edwards said five guns, two ski masks and gloves were collected by police from the men and the 1997 Dodge Caravan they were in.
According to Edwards, as officers approached the minivan they had stopped on Bellows Street around midnight Saturday, shots were fired at them.
Police could not say exactly how many shots were fired.
The minivan had temporary tags and police considered the vehicle suspicious, prompting the traffic stop, Edwards said.
No one was injured in the gunfire. Police said they did not return fire.
Police said Brooks fled from the vehicle and was caught a block away at Cole Avenue at Marcy Street after a short chase.
