A 76-year-old Akron man, Harry Wilkinson, was sentenced to three years in a community-based correctional facility for the reckless shooting death of Bryan McNeil on the Firestone Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3383 property in Akron.
Wilkinson pleaded guilty to reckless homicide after a mistrial was declared during jury deliberations. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a firearm specification and negligent homicide charge.
Judge Kathryn Michael, of Summit County Common Pleas Court, ordered Wilkinson to undergo mental health and substance abuse screenings, and take relevant classes. She also imposed a $1,000 fine and court costs.
Wilkinson was accused of shooting and killing McNeil on March 13, 2024. The victim, a homeless man, was living with his girlfriend in a shed on the VFW property. Wilkinson, a caretaker on the property, had a dispute with McNeil before the shooting.
Prosecutors presented security footage showing Wilkinson leaving the VFW parking lot and driving toward a wooded area near McNeil’s shed. The video captured two gunshots before Wilkinson drove away.
“It appears Mr. Wilkinson was trying to scare them off, not intending to harm anyone,” Judge Michael remarked during the sentencing.
After a mistrial was declared due to an undisclosed reason, and with the jury divided, Wilkinson’s attorney, J. Reid Yoder, and prosecutors reached a plea agreement. Yoder emphasized Wilkinson’s desire to avoid a second trial and provide closure to McNeil’s family.
Assistant prosecutor Ben Carro argued for imprisonment, emphasizing that a life was taken. He described how McNeil was turning his life around before the shooting, planning to start a full-time job and leave the shed. Carro said Wilkinson could have called the police or gone home instead of taking the law into his own hands.
In addition to the sentence, Wilkinson was ordered to forfeit property interests to the U.S. and placed on probation following his release.
