AKRON, Ohio — A man, identified as Akil Scott Jackson, 24, of Akron, shot at the mother of his child near a busy Akron intersection and then exchanged gunfire with an armed security guard on Sunday before shooting himself and killing himself, according to Akron police.
Police said at about 5:00 p.m., a 23-year-old woman was walking near Exchange and South Arlington streets with her three small children, another woman and the other woman's child, when Jackson, her boyfriend and the father of her youngest child, pulled up to the closed intersection of Exchange and River streets in a pickup truck.
After Jackson got out of his car and a few words were exchanged, there was a physical confrontation. Jackson then pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at her, striking her in the back while she tried to shield her children from the gunfire, according to the release.
The other female and her child fled to a nearby gas station for safety.
Nearby, an armed security guard for Typhon Security was guarding a construction site when he heard the 23-year-old woman arguing with Jackson. As the security guard approached him, they exchanged gunfire.
Jackson then approached his girlfriend again and attempted to fire more rounds at her, but the gun jammed, police said.
It was at this time three citizens in two separate vehicles jumped out of their vehicles to intervene and rescue the woman and her three children. Two men wrestled with Jackson, who dropped the handgun and pulled out a knife.
The two men and a woman were helping the woman and her children into their cars when Jackson picked up his gun and ran back towards his truck.
"They are the true heroes by coming to the aid of this woman and her children," said Akron Police Public Information Officer Lt. Rick Edwards.
He ran eastbound on River Street, where he exchanged gunfire with the armed security guard again.
Jackson was then confronted by a responding officer. Jackson put a gun to his head and shot himself. He was transported to Akron City Hospital where he later died.
Police said the security guard who exchanged gunfire with Jackson was not injured.
The citizens who initially stopped drove the woman and her children to South Arlington Street and Clark Street, where they flagged down a responding officer.
The 23-year-old woman was taken to Akron City Hospital where she is listed in serious condition. Her three children were uninjured during the shootout. Police said she is expected to make a full recovery.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a suicide and the cause and manner of his death is a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.
