Two and a half weeks after 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker was shot and killed, the City of Akron released the personnel file of the officer who fired that night — a five-year veteran of the department who had previously been involved in nearly three dozen use-of-force incidents.
According to Akron city records, officer Davon Fields started with Akron police in December 2019.
The 27-year-old Army Reserve veteran received high marks on his annual performance evaluations, including this comment from a supervisor, writing that Fields, "Uses sound and ethical judgment in making decisions."
The records released don't show any discipline in the five years Fields has been with the department.
But, it does show he was placed on paid administrative leave following a "critical incident" on Feb. 22, 2022. There aren't any other details about that incident.
But records show it's the same day two Akron police officers were involved in a deadly shooting on Ritchie Avenue.
In that case, investigators say Lawrence Rodgers pulled a gun on police, and one officer fired with a pistol and the other with a rifle. Police say Rodgers then shot and killed another man before he died. It is unclear what role Fields played in that incident because the officers' names were redacted.
The city also released 34 use-of-force reports filed by Fields since February 2020. In most, the officer detailed struggles with people he said he was trying to detain. There's no indication he was disciplined in connection with any of those cases.
Jayland Walker shooting
State records show Fields was also on duty the night of the Jayland Walker shooting.
According to an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation report, Fields told agents he was about two blocks away when Walker jumped out of his car and ran from police.
Fields said he grabbed his patrol rifle and ran to try and catch Walker but was about 50 feet away when other officers opened fire.
He told agents he did not fire in that incident.
Jazmir Tucker shooting
Tucker was shot and killed on Thanksgiving evening. According to the Akron Police Department, a pair of patrol officers were parked in their marked cruiser at East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard when they heard gunshots nearby and exited their patrol car.
A short time later, outside of Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, the officers encountered Tucker, and one of the officers fired his gun, striking the teen, police said.
Body camera footage revealed a gun was found in Tucker’s right-side pocket. However, the pocket was zipped, and other items appeared to bury the gun inside his pocket.
RELATED: Body camera footage released in deadly police shooting of Akron teen
Akron police said in a statement that two shell casings found near the school were matched by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to the weapon Tucker had on him.
RELATED: Bullet casings found by Akron police match gun found in Jazmir Tucker's jacket
What happens next
Fields remains on paid administrative leave following the shooting.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is looking into the case, and the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will complete a separate investigation.
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- 15-year-old boy shot, killed by officer in Akron
