Desean Williamson murder trial begins: Witnesses describe moments before, after shooting

For Timothy Griffith, July 25, 2021, was like any other summer night, until he heard roughly six booming gunshots outside his house on 11th Street in Kenmore.

Looking out the window, he spotted two men running down the street before the screeching noise of tires on asphalt caught his attention. Looking around, he said he saw a red Toyota Camry speeding away.

"I didn't immediately see it, but there was a Malibu crashed into a tree," Griffith testified Tuesday during the murder trial of Gage Zirke.

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Zirke, 20, who was driving the Malibu, was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death was a gunshot that entered his back and pierced his heart, said Chris Delisio, a Summit County assistant prosecutor.

Now, Desean Williamson, 25, of Akron, is accused of shooting and killing Zirke. He appeared for his first day of trial Tuesday in Summit County Common Pleas Court, where three witnesses testified what they saw that day.

Williamson is charged with murder, felony murder and felonious assault. Each has a firearm specification that could result in additional prison time.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Towell is presiding over the case. Williamson is represented by attorneys Kerry O'Brien and John Greven.

Two people were arrested in the shooting

Two people, including Williamson, were arrested in the fatal shooting that occurred on the 2300 block of 11th Street SW. The second person was the 22-year-old Teion Thompson.

Akron police said they were in a verbal altercation with Zirke just before the shooting.

Delisio said the shooting occurred over a set of stolen speakers.

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Represented by attorney Jacob Will, Thompson pleaded guilty in May to obstructing justice. He had faced charges, including two counts of murder, in the shooting death of Zirke. Those charges were dismissed.

He is expected to testify against Williamson later this week.

Who was Gage Zirke?

Lucrecia Rogers went quiet when she saw a photo of her son, Zirke, holding a dog. He was 19 in that photo. In the following months, he would move into a Goodyear Heights apartment and out of his grandfather's home, she testified Monday.

Although he didn't have solid plans for his immediate future, she said Zirke wanted to go to college and play football. He also had dreams of entering real estate.

"He had plans to save money and buy a duplex. He wanted to live on one side and rent out the other," Rogers said.

Rogers said he had a brother and a sister and was close with everyone in his family.

The day he died, they were supposed to have dinner, but he canceled the day before saying he couldn't make it, she testified. She didn't talk to him the day of his death.

"I chastise myself [for that]," Rogers said on the stand.

What happened immediately before the shooting?

Another witness, Brian Jankowski, lived near the shooting when it occurred. He testified that four vehicles were present during the incident.

The Malibu driven by Zirke arrived first, but, Jankowski said, the vehicle pulled into a driveway and left the area multiple times before backing into a driveway one last time.

Next came a red Toyota Camry, he said. One person exited the vehicle and approached the Malibu.

"The only conversation I heard was, 'What's in the trunk? What's in the trunk?'" Jankowski recalled.

That's when two other vehicles pulled up: a Nissan Rogue and a black Dodge Charger. Two people dressed all in white exited the Dodge and walked toward the Malibu, he said.

"The tall skinny guy was walking stiff like he was holding a pipe," Jankowski said. "I said a pipe because it was black."

Then he heard a "pop pop." That's when the two men fled the scene, and the vehicles sped away.

Bullet holes dotted the back of Zirke's vehicle

When Akron police officer Mark Sember arrived at the scene, he called EMS and spoke to neighbors who attempted to help Zirke immediately after the crash but found him unresponsive.

Looking in the vehicle, Sember's camera showed Zirke slumped in the driver seat. He testified that he did not attempt any life-saving measures after being unable to find a pulse.

"I didn't want to mess with the scene," he said.

Moving toward the rear of the vehicle, Sember's body-worn camera showed multiple gunshot holes, including one that went through the rear driver side window.

The trial will continue Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in Towell's courtroom.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Desean Williamson murder trial begins: Witnesses describe moments before, after shooting