Body camera footage released by the City of Akron on Monday shows an Akron Police officer shoot and strike a teenager in the hand immediately after he drove up to the scene and saw the teen had what was later determined to be a fake gun.
The teen was identified in a statement by the family's attorney as 15 year old Tavion Koonce-Williams.
The footage was released Monday, per city law, which requires the city to release footage within a week of a police shooting. The video release by Akron includes the 911 call placed before the shooting and the full interaction with the teenager, edited to protect the juvenile subject's identity.
Some viewers may find the video disturbing due to its graphic nature. Blood is visible in the video, and profanity can be heard. News 5 is presenting the video as provided by Akron below:
What happened
At about 7:04 p.m. on Monday, April 1, the City of Akron’s communications center received a 911 call from a resident reporting a person with a gun near Newton Street and Tonawanda Avenue, according to the edited video release by Akron Police Monday.
“I’m walking my dog and there is a guy walking down Newton Street and he was aiming a gun at people’s houses. He pulled it out and was acting like he was going to shoot their houses,” the 911 caller said.
The caller said they saw a black gun but could not provide more details on what kind of gun it was. The dispatcher took more details on the person’s description and which direction they were heading.
At about 7:11 p.m., the officer saw a person matching the caller’s description walking on Britain Road near the corner of Ottawa Avenue.
As the officer exited his patrol car, he issued a verbal command for the subject, later identified as a 15-year-old boy, to show his hands and then fires a shot.
The teen immediately starts yelling, “It’s fake! It’s fake!” as the officer announces, “Shots fired!” over his radio.
The officer orders the teen to ground at gunpoint, and the teen drops to the ground while continuing to tell the officer the gun is fake.
The officer handcuffs the 15-year-old, and blood from the shooting wound can be seen on body camera.
More officers arrive, and they remove the cuffs and begin rendering aid to the teen by applying a tourniquet.
As officers attended to the boy’s wound, he told them he was on his way home from his cousin’s funeral.
“I’m a good kid, I get As in school, I play football. I just wanted to be safe. My cousin just died,” he said.
The boy was then transported to Akron Children's Hospital.
Teen's grandmother speaks
Karen Robinson is the teen's grandmother.
"And I’m angry, very angry that my grandson has to go through this for the rest of his life. He’s going to carry that moment with him," Robinson said.
The attorney for Tavion's family says the teen was shot while unarmed with his hands up doing everything he possibly could have done to be safe.
Robinson spoke with her grandson she described as a fun kid.
“I believe that he was just being a boy. What do boys do with toy guns. I don’t believe he was aiming to say oh I’d like to shoot this one because he’s not that type," Robinson said.
The boy's family has retained Imokhai Okolo from the Okolo Law Firm as their managing attorney. Okolo released a statement on the shooting, which can be viewed here.
What we know about the officer involved
The city of Akron also released the officer's personnel file.
The officer was fired in July 2021 for several policy violations including for a time when he was extremely drunk and muzzled a gun at his girlfriend.
The officer got his job back months later and was given his original 71 day suspension for the violations.
Robinson wants to see the officer charged in the shooting case.
"Why why it wasn’t necessary. I just don’t believe in my heart it was necessary," Robinson said.
The officer involved, a nine-year veteran of the department, 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.”
Police union stands behind officer
The Akron police union says it stands by the officer. In a statement released last week, saying they are confident the officer's actions will be deemed justified.
Read the Akron Fraternal Order of Police's full statement below:
The Fraternal Order of Police, Akron Lodge 7 understands and appreciates the public's concern regarding the critical Incident that took place Monday April 1, 2024 in Akron's Goodyear Heights neighborhood.
This is an extremely difficult situation for everyone involved. There is always a concern each time an officer is faced with the incredibly challenging, split-second decision to defend himself and others against an armed suspect. Our officers work hard every day to keep the community safe. Unfortunately, there are times when an officer is faced with the complex decision to use lethal force.
We will work with all agencies involved and cooperate with investigations into the incident.
We are confident when all the facts are released, our officer's actions will be deemed justified.
Watch our previous report for more details:
On Tuesday, the police union provided another statement regarding the shooting:
The Fraternal Order of Police, Akron Lodge 7 was informed that the City Administration was going to release the body worn camera footage of the officer involved in the critical incident on April 1, 2024 in Akron's Goodyear Heights neighborhood. The Union's stance on the matter has not changed from the first press release on April 2nd, 2024. The officer involved acted within policy and procedure and according to his training lmmediately after being faced with a split-second decision to use deadly force, he and other officers began rendering medical treatment to the suspect.
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