David Hall

David Wayne Hall was known for his ubiquitous smile and happy-go-lucky nature. The youngest of eight siblings in a close-knit family, David, a 44-year-old Black man, was remembered as a solid, good man who was always positive and upbeat. He was a familiar and friendly face in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he worked for the Downtown Akron Partnership, operating the "green machine" street cleaner on Main Street. His job allowed him to connect with business owners and community members, who recalled his warm personality. David was also ambitious and intellectually curious; at the time of his death, he was studying to become a legal aid. His family said he was loved by women and respected by men. He lived a clean life, and toxicology reports after his death confirmed he did not use drugs.

The night of October 8, 2005, ended that promising life in a manner that continues to baffle his loved ones and investigators. David was riding his bicycle on the city's near west side, about a mile from his apartment on Diagonal Road. For reasons that remain unknown, he was shot once in the head. It appears that after being wounded, he managed to continue into the backyard of a residence at 505 Bacon Avenue, where he collapsed. He was found there, unresponsive and underneath his bicycle, at approximately 11:15 a.m. the following morning. The motive for the killing is a complete mystery. David wasn't robbed, mugged, or known to be involved in any altercation. He was simply gunned down in cold blood.

The Akron Police Department launched a homicide investigation, but the case quickly grew cold. Detectives were left with very little physical evidence to work with: only the bullet that killed him, his body, and his bicycle. There were no witnesses who came forward, and no suspects were ever identified. The randomness of the act left investigators with few leads to follow. In a 2019 interview, Akron Police Lieutenant David Whiddon acknowledged the difficulty of the case, stating, "unfortunately, we're no closer to solving this than we were in October 2005."

For David's seven older brothers and sisters, the pain of his loss is compounded by the lack of answers. His empty chair at family gatherings is a constant symbol of their grief. His oldest brother, Lawrence Hall, has expressed the family's enduring anguish and their desperate need for closure. "I've taken the fact that he's gone and won't see him again," Lawrence said. "But it sure would be nice to know who did that. And it sure would be nice to know they got punished for doing that." The question of "why" haunts them. "A guy like this, who doesn't bother anybody, a guy like this who goes about living his life making people happy, making people feel good… Why?" Lawrence asked.

The murder of David Hall left a void not only in his family but also in the downtown Akron community where he was a daily presence. His case is now listed among the unsolved homicides on the Ohio Attorney General's website, a stark reminder of a life cut short and a crime without justice.

As of February 2019, the investigation into David Hall's murder remains open but inactive, pending new information. The Akron Police Department and David's family continue to hope that someone with a guilty conscience or a crucial piece of information will finally come forward. Anyone with information regarding the case is urged to submit a tip to the Akron Police Department or the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.