Tramango Ramone Roper was 44 and owned a photography business; he had studied at Kent State University. He and 54-year-old Robin El-Amin, who trained as a nursing assistant and EMT and appeared to work as a tattoo artist in the Akron area, were friends and connected on social media.

In the early morning hours of December 12, 2017, both were shot and killed inside a home at 823 Merton Avenue in South Akron. Witnesses said four men had been playing cards in the dining room when a fight broke out, shots were fired, and the card players fled. Roper and El-Amin were later found dead in a bed; the Summit County Medical Examiner ruled their deaths a double homicide. The first 911 call came from a nearby street after a bleeding man sought help; officers initially searched the wrong block before finding the Merton Avenue house by following footprints in the snow and directions from a passerby.

Investigators processed the scene and planned to review nearby surveillance video. No suspects were identified and no arrests have been made; Summit County Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information. If anyone knew Tramango Roper or saw activity around 823 Merton Avenue that night, please contact Summit County Crime Stoppers at 330-434-COPS.