Connette Long’s granddaughter, 18-year-old La’Shae Ellis, avoided house parties — there was too much of a chance something could go wrong. But she loved to dance and went to a party in Akron’s Summit Lake neighborhood. Less than an hour later, she was shot and killed. From the outside looking in, the random nature of the shooting appears similar to one June 6 in the bar district of Highland Square that injured several people. And while the Highland Square neighborhood experiences it, it’s not the only area affected. Gun violence happens in every pocket of the city — from outside bars and house parties, to pee wee football games at Lane Field, in public parks.
