Diamond Fisk, 23, male, Black/African American, left home that Saturday night to celebrate an upcoming job and never made it back. In the early morning hours of May 18, 2025, a fight that began at the Empire Lounge in Akron's Merriman Valley spilled into the parking lot of the McDonald's next door on Merriman Road. As tempers flared, multiple shots rang out.
Officers who had been called to clear the crowd heard the gunfire and rushed to the McDonald's, where they found Fisk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General and pronounced dead.
In the days that followed, family and friends remembered him as a hard-working son and recent Ellet High School graduate who had just accepted a trucking job in Tennessee. The obituary published by Calhoun Funeral Home identified him as Diamond Maurice Fisk Jr., born June 29, 2001, and confirmed his date of death as May 18, 2025. Community tributes and memorial pages marked the loss and kept vigil as the investigation continued.
Detectives believe Fisk was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire when at least two people exchanged gunfire after the club disturbance. No arrests had been announced, and police said a large number of people were nearby who might hold crucial details. In October, Akron Police again appealed publicly for tips, urging witnesses to come forward through Crime Stoppers or the department's anonymous channels; a reward of up to $2,000 was offered for information leading to a resolution.
As of the latest updates, the case remains open. Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or suspects, and they continue to ask anyone who was at the Empire Lounge or the adjacent McDonald's—located at 1810 Merriman Road—to share what they saw to help bring answers to Fisk's family.
