Sirvonte Suggs, 18, of Akron pleads not guilty in fatal I-77 shooting

Eric Marotta, Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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An 18-year-old man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the Aug. 3 shooting death of 23-year-old Marquise Banks on Interstate 77 in Green.

Sirvonte Suggs is charged with aggravated murder. A Barberton Municipal Court judge set his bond at $1 million, according to court documents.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team arrested Suggs at a Florida Avenue residence in Akron, seizing suspected drugs, electronics and ammunition, according to a release. The sheriff's office said detectives believe the shooting was a result of an ongoing dispute between Suggs and Banks.

Officers identified Suggs after viewing surveillance footage and confirming eyewitness testimony with phone records, according to an affidavit filed with Barberton Municipal Court.

Deputies said Suggs was taken to the Summit County Jail and additional charges are pending. The aggravated murder charge is a first-degree felony.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office said Banks died shortly before 7 p.m. of multiple gunshot wounds that sent him careening across a section of the highway.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office reports a passenger of a pickup truck fired several rounds from a handgun into a black SUV while both vehicles were traveling southbound on I-77. The driver of the SUV was struck multiple times and killed,
The Summit County Sheriff's Office reports a passenger of a pickup truck fired several rounds from a handgun into a black SUV while both vehicles were traveling southbound on I-77. The driver of the SUV was struck multiple times and killed,

The release said sheriff's investigators determined that at around 6 p.m. the passenger of a pickup truck fired several rounds from a handgun into Banks' black SUV while both vehicles were traveling southbound on I-77. Banks' SUV crossed the median into the northbound lanes of I-77, striking a Mercedes in the northbound lanes.

The pickup fled the area and was caught on video by an Ohio Department of Transportation traffic camera.

Banks was taken by the Green Fire Department to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The 54-year-old driver of the Mercedes was taken to Summa Health Green Emergency Department. She later told the Beacon Journal that her injuries were minimal, including bruises, cuts, neck pain from whiplash and a sore stomach from the seat belt, but no internal damage.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and Crash Team responded to the scene. The DEA and the Akron Police Department assisted with the investigation.

More: Akronite killed in I-77 shooting, crash identified; crash victim says she was 'lucky.'

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Sirvonte Suggs arrested in fatal I-77 shooting of Marquise Banks