LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are reeling from the shooting death of Ericka Weems, the 37-year-old older sister of Cavs director of scouting Brandon Weems.
James took to Twitter on Wednesday to make a plea for any information connected to the shooting. Weems was discovered Monday afternoon in the bedroom of her home in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. She was the victim of a gunshot wound to the head.
Akron Police have not announced any arrests or identified any suspects, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. A message left by ESPN with the Akron Police Department was not immediately returned.
“My brother’s sister was murdered this past weekend in her home! My brother family need answers to why and by whom,” James wrote in part on Twitter. “My city I need y’all to go to work and find out who did this awful, shameful, disgusting thing to such a caring, loving angel!”
Weems, who previously owned a daycare center in Columbus, Ohio, ran a daycare service out of her residence in West Akron.
“She had a passion and love for children,” Brandon Weems told News 5 ABC Cleveland. “She could get kids to say and do things that even their parents couldn’t do.”
James and Brandon Weems grew up a grade apart and played youth sports together through high school, where they teamed on the nationally ranked program at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s.
Weems’ mother, Brenda Lewis-Weems, was James’ godmother. She died in 2006 shortly before James’ NBA playoff debut. He dedicated his 32-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist maiden postseason performance to her memory.
While James went on to NBA stardom, the 33-year-old Weems was an All-American at NAIA Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. After college coaching stints at the University of Kentucky, Drexel University and Oakland University, he was hired by the Cavs as a college scout in 2015. He was promoted to director of scouting in 2017 and remains with the organization even after James left Cleveland to join the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
“The entire Cavaliers organization was terribly saddened to learn about the recent tragic death of Brandon Weems’ sister Ericka,” Cavs general manager, Koby Altman, said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy and filled with pain over this senseless act. We express our deepest condolences to Brandon, the entire Weems family, their loved ones, and the Akron community. We will be with Brandon throughout this extremely difficult time and will offer our assistance and resources to help find justice for Ericka.”
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard contributed to this report.