Dante Harrington

Dante Harrington was a thoughtful, funny, and family-oriented young man who had just turned 17 years old. A Black male from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dante had a job, loved his family, and was looking forward to graduating from high school. His aunt, Love Scott, described him as an “amazing young man” who wanted to do something great with his life. In the days after his death, friends, family, and neighbors gathered to honor his life with a candlelight vigil.

On the evening of Friday, September 13, 2019, Dante was outside his grandmother’s home in the 900 block of Adams Street in Lincoln Heights. At approximately 9:19 p.m., he was shot. When Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found Dante suffering from gunshot wounds, including one to the chest. He was rushed by emergency responders to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but he died from his injuries.

Investigators with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office began searching for a black vehicle believed to be involved in the offense. About 90 minutes after Dante was shot, deputies responded to another shooting nearby on Chester Road, where an 18-year-old man named Jaylan Hardy was found with a gunshot wound to his back. Hardy was hospitalized and survived. Though the proximity and timing of the two incidents initially raised questions, the sheriff’s office later confirmed that the shooting of Jaylan Hardy was not related to Dante Harrington’s murder.

Five days later, on September 18, 2019, authorities announced an arrest in Dante’s death. Randy Munachimso Akabuaku, 25, was taken into custody and charged with murder. According to court records, the charge was based on “evidence discovered and witness statements” that indicated he had caused the teen’s death. Akabuaku was booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center.

Despite the arrest, Dante Harrington's murder remains unsolved. The last reported development was the arrest of a suspect in September 2019. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information about the case to contact them at 513-851-6000.