A 15-year-old boy was shot by an Akron Police officer Monday after a caller reported a person pulling out a gun and pointing it at houses in the area, according to a news release from the department.
The officer, a nine-year veteran of Akron Police, responded and found the teen near the intersection of Brittain and Ottawa roads, the release states. The officer fired a single shot, striking the boy. He was taken to a nearby hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
Watch our breaking coverage from Monday night:
On Tuesday afternoon, Akron Police said the teen had a "facsimile firearm" at the time of the shooting.
The APD said in a statement: "Immediately following the incident, officers recovered what appears to be a facsimile firearm that the teen allegedly had in his possession in the moments leading up to the shooting. The facsimile firearm was photographed, secured, and later turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, which will conduct an independent investigation.:
The boy was transported to Akron Children's Hospital.
The name of the boy who was shot is being withheld at this time, police said.
The officer involved has been placed on paid leave, and the Ohio BCI will conduct an investigation, officials said.
“At the completion of the investigation, the case will be turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review before being submitted to the Summit County Grand Jury for evaluation,” the police release said. “A separate internal investigation will be conducted by the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability. The results of their investigation will be provided to the police chief and the City of Akron Police Auditor for their review.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik released this statement on the shooting:
“Yesterday's officer-involved shooting of a 15-year-old Akron resident is a tragic situation, and I’m grateful the young man was not more seriously injured and that the officer was not injured.
"The state Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) arrived on scene last night and will conduct a thorough, independent investigation. At the conclusion of their investigation, they will turn their findings over to the Ohio Attorney General's Office for review and will then present the information to a Summit County Grand Jury for their evaluation.
"Once BCI has completed their investigation, a separate internal investigation will be conducted by the Akron Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and Accountability, and those results will be shared with the City of Akron Police Chief and Independent Police Auditor for their review.
"We are working to ensure the body camera footage will be released as soon as possible, within the next 7 days as required by city law. These kinds of incidents are some of the most challenging for our community to grapple with, and I would ask that we all reserve judgment until more information is shared. “
Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board Chair Kemp Boyd released the following statement on the shooting:
“The Citizens Police Oversight Board is deeply saddened by the recent shooting incident involving a 15-year-old male. While we are relieved to know that his injuries are not life-threatening, a family from our community and the neighborhood where this happened are dealing with the trauma of having this occur where they live and where children play. An Akron police officer is also left dealing with the traumatic impact of having used deadly force.”
According to BCI, the investigation is active and ongoing.
