Akron police release body camera video of fatal shooting of 15-year-old boy

A newly released body camera from the Akron Police Department shows an altercation between officers and 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker when he was mortally wounded on Thanksgiving Day.

The video begins with officers running toward Tucker with guns drawn. One officer fired an AR-15 rifle as they approached him. There is no sound for the first 30 seconds of the bodycam video, including when Tucker is shot, and Tucker is not seen in the video until he is handcuffed.

Officers continued to yell “stop moving” and “reach out” after he was hit. One officer said they saw him “reaching with his right hand” and said he had a firearm on his right hip. Police later found the gun in Tucker’s zippered coat pocket.

The two officers who initially approached Tucker, whose names have not yet been released, were working on a previous call report in their parked police car at East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard around 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, according to initial police reports. report. According to initial reports, they heard gunshots, got out of the car to investigate, and encountered a man with a loaded gun.

The released body camera footage shows officers waiting with guns drawn. One officer asked if the others could check the parking lot behind him for potential victims of the shots they believed Tucker had fired.

A few minutes later, a group of officers approached Tucker to handcuff him. The officers unzipped his jacket pocket and pulled out a gun.

Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave. According to Akron police, the officer who fired the shot has five years of service, while the other officer has been on the force for less than a year.

The fatal shooting is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The findings will be forwarded to the Ohio Attorney General. It will then also be forwarded to the Akron Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and Accountability, Internal Affairs and the city’s independent police auditor.

In the initial report, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik asked the community to reserve judgment until more is known.

Earlier this week, Akron City Council President Margot Sommerville called for better training for the police department and more mentoring programs for the city’s youth.

“Because we have these conversations way too often,” Sommerville said. “We have to continue to look at how we can make sure that we’re proactive, you know, really focusing on training, putting resources and money into training, especially de-escalation.”

Last week, some Akron residents expressed outrage and concern about police violence, particularly toward the city’s youth.

On a Memorial Sunday Akron resident Tia Ray said incidents like this undermine trust between youth and police.

“It’s very painful because I have a 15-year-old son,” Ray said. – This is his friend. He had never experienced this before. My son is in a state of mind where he doesn’t like the police. He doesn’t trust the police. And I don’t want him to think that.”

Resident Lillian Barnes echoed that sentiment during a public comment at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

“This kid shouldn’t be dead,” Barnes said. “Not all officers are bad, but the ones who (are) bad are killing us and our children.”

Akron activists have planned protests for Thursday, Friday and Saturday beginning at 6:00 pm in downtown Akron.

This story is evolving and will be updated.