An Akron Police officer who shot a 15-year-old boy who was holding a fake gun last month has been fired, the department announced on Monday, just hours after the Summit County Prosecutor's Office announced that a charge filed against the teen had been dropped.
The department said that Officer Ryan Westlake was fired for two previous use-of-force incidents, and his termination was unrelated to the teen's shooting on April 1, which still remains under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Incident 1
The first of the two incidents occurred on Dec. 31, 2023. Westlake was charged on April 9 with conduct unbecoming of an Akron Police officer and for violating the department's use of force policy. Department records for that incident show Westlake put his rifle against the back of a suspect's head and neck who was under arrest and then pulled on his hair to turn his head. Records also indicate that Westlake put his boot on the back of the suspect's neck.
Incident 2
The second incident occurred on March 1, and he was hit with the same charges. In that incident, records show that while Westlake was arresting a woman, she fell to the ground. An initial review of the incident by an investigating supervisor deemed that the officer didn't violate department policy during the arrest; however, the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability later conducted a separate review and determined that he violated department rules and regulations.
What happens next
Westlake will have the opportunity to appeal his termination to the mayor's office through the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 and his collective bargaining, the department said. If the mayor chooses to uphold Westlake's termination, the FOP itself could choose to appeal.
The FOP released the following statement on his termination:
"The Fraternal Order of Police Akron Lodge 7 is disappointed with the decision made by the City of Akron Administration and the Akron Police Department to terminate Officer Westlake. This
has been another example of politics influencing policing. It is also disappointing that Officer Westlake is being judged by how something looks on video rather than the laws that govern use
of force incidents (the totality of the circumstances). The FOP 7 will continue to stand by and support Officer Westlake through the disciplinary process."
Teen's charge dropped
The Summit County Prosecutor's Office said on Monday that it requested the complaint brought against 15-year-old Tavion Koonce-Williams, the teen whom Westlake shot while holding a fake gun, be dismissed.
A juvenile court judge granted the request, and the complaint was dismissed, the prosecutor's office said.
The complaint stemmed from an incident in which police were called to the area of Brittain and Ottawa roads for a person who had a gun and was pointing it at nearby houses.
Body camera footage showed Westlake shooting the teen in the hand immediately after he drove up to the scene and saw he had what was later determined to be a fake gun.
The boy was later hit with a misdemeanor complaint of having a facsimile firearm — the charge now dropped.
"Pursuing charges at this time against Mr. Koonce-Williams could undermine the independence of BCI’s investigation," Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said. "Charging decisions should only be made after the completion of a thorough review of the incident by independent investigators."
Family called for the officer's termination
The family and lawyer for the teen held a news conference last month to express their outrage at the police department and called for Westlake's firing.
The family's attorney, Imokhai Okolo, called on the department to fire officer Ryan Westlake and for charges to be filed against him, as well as an investigation into the Akron Police Department by the Department of Justice.
Monday evening, Okolo expressed relief at Westlake's firing, but questioned its timing.
"It's quite perplexing to think that two incidents that happened before Tavion was shot are the justification to fire this officer," said Okolo.
Records show it took Akron police more than four months to file internal charges against Westlake for the December incident and nearly eight weeks to file internal charges for the March use of force.
"Do you believe Tavion's shooting could have been avoided had Akron Police acted faster?" News 5 Investigators asked Okolo.
"100 Percent," he said. "This is negligence at its finest. Had the Akron Police Department and the City of Akron done what they needed to do in firing Officer Westlake after the first incident, the second incident, the third or fourth incident, we wouldn't be here rihgt now."
