AKRON, Ohio — Newly released body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker has sparked a lot of concern and even more questions.
The city of Akron held a news conference Friday morning where the mayor and police chief read previously released statements and answered questions for reporters in attendance.
One of the questions officials were asked was the name of the officer who fired the shots that killed the teen. Mayor Shammas Malik said the name wasn't being released due to concerns about the officer's safety.
"We have shared names where we have, in each case, weighed specific threats that officers are facing versus the value that we do have in transparency, and so we will continue to work on assessing that and making that evaluation in light of releasing the information we did last night. I understand why it is being asked, but that is the process we used this year that we feel is appropriate; we have an obligation to make sure that folks are safe from harm. At the same time, we have to balance that against the interests of transparency," Malik said.
The city also refused to release officers' names in the Jayland Walker shooting.
News 5 has learned that the rifle used to kill the teen was not department-issued but rather the officer's personal weapon.
"The majority of rifles are not department-issued. We have some. The majority of the officers purchase themselves, but they have to qualify with them with us and they go through training," said Akron Police Chief Brian Harding.
The amount of time it took to provide aid to Jazmir after he was shot is a concern that city officials and community members continue to raise.
According to the video, it took about seven minutes before officers approached the teen. After roughly another three minutes, officers began providing some aid, which included putting a chest seal on Jazmir around the time EMS arrived, Harding explained at the news conference.
"I want to be clear that any unreasonable delay by police in rendering aid is unacceptable and has no place in Akron," Malik said.
Brain Lucey, president of FOP Akron Lodge 7, said there are reasons for officers delaying aid to a shooting victim.
"Rendering aid is something that's done when the scene is safe. I was not on the scene. The officers that were on the scene, they did not deem it safe initially to render aid," Lucey said.
Jazmir's family and its attorneys respond to his shooting
The teen's family and its attorneys, members of The Cochran Firm, held a news conference late Friday morning calling for change and accountability in the Akron Police Department and its "culture of violence."
The family was shown the body camera footage Thursday. Jazmir's mother, Ashley Green, told reporters during Friday's news conference that the videos were devastating.
"It was like I was watching somebody play Call of Duty," she said.
She called him a "kind, loving and funny kid."
"I just want answers," she said.
The attorneys representing the family, Robert Greshem and Stanley Jackson, both spoke to a number of failures they believe continue to permeate the department and the "tactical issues" that resulted in Jazmir's death.
"In this particular case, the police department did a number of things tactically wrong in this case, starting with the aggressiveness that they initiated this pursuit," Greshem said. "These officers came out with the intent to do one thing, shoot and kill."
He continued, "What I perceive to be the biggest issue here is there's a culture of violence in this particular police department. There's an issue here. There's a problem here, and this police department needs to be addressed. It needs to be reviewed, and things need to change yesterday."
Jackson said the mayor and the department are responsible for "weaponizing" the police.
"The mayor and the police department weaponized the police by allowing them to carry assault rifles, right? And then, the police department weaponizes Jaz's skin and his youth. That's the problem. You give someone a high-powered rifle, and then they're not properly trained, and there's a culture to assault and kill Black males— that's the tragedy," Jackson said
During the department's news conference, police addressed officers carrying assault rifle-style weapons, saying that officers who carry them must be certified and undergo training to have them.
The law firm is calling for full transparency and cooperation from the City of Akron.
"This family wants to push for a full criminal investigation and charges if and where warranted, and finally, a full audit and review of Akron Police Department practices and procedures," Greshem said.
Reporters asked the firm about the weapon that was later found in Jazmir's pocket, and one reporter asked if he had carried it for protection.
Greshem responded, "We won't speak to that necessarily, because what's important here is that by all accounts, and the evidence we have before us, these officers had no idea he had a weapon on him based on where they found it. So, from our perspective, or from a legal perspective at this time, considering the officers don't appear to have known about it, it's not relevant to what's going on here. So that's all we'll say to address that particular question."
The footage
News 5 was provided with a nearly 30-minute compilation of different angles of body-worn camera footage and one dash camera video.
According to the Akron Police Department, a pair of patrol officers were parked in their marked cruiser at East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard on Thanksgiving night when they heard gunshots nearby and exited their patrol car.
Body camera shows a five-year veteran officer running towards the outside of Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, where they encountered Tucker.
There is no audio in the first 30 seconds.
I sat down with former Akron Police Officer Tim Dimoff, who is often utilized as an expert in officer-involved shootings when they go to court.
“I am former law enforcement with the Akron Police Department and the federal task force. After my retirement, I took my expertise and I have been for the last 30 years, a court expert in police procedures across the United States and have testified in multiple states,” he said.
We watched the footage together, and he immediately pointed out how quickly the officer pulled the trigger.
“What's interesting is the officer gets out of the cruiser, and it really isn't that much time after he gets out that he does fire his rifle at the suspect. One of the things that we need to understand is when he got out and was starting to approach the suspect and then when he fired, there has to be some very important visual... He saw something,” Dimoff noted.
However, it’s unclear what the officer saw when approaching Tucker based on the footage provided. Lights were pointed at him, and guns were covering most of what we could see in the video.
What is evident is the officer who shot Tucker did so multiple times, but the audio associated with the shooting was unable to be provided.
In the body-worn footage, officers stated several times the alleged reason for shooting Tucker was due to what “looks like a firearm on his right hip.”
Again, the video does not adequately show whether Tucker had drawn the weapon previously, nor does it show a clear visual of the moments that led to why he was shot.
As the body camera footage continues, several Akron police officers are commanding Tucker to show his hands.
With seemingly no movement, as stated by one officer talking to dispatch, a group of Akron police officers finally pushed forward onto the west side of the Miller South School field.
There is at least a six-and-a-half-minute delay between when Tucker was shot and when officers made physical contact with the teen.
“That can be because [suspects are] non-compliant or it can be because they have serious injuries. The officers were trying to get compliance. I believe that if the subject was or able or did extend his hands, the officers would have immediately approached him,” Dimoff explained.
Dimoff further stated, “Ironically none of them approached the subject during that time period, which to me potentially means that all of those officers didn't feel safe or secure in approaching the subject. You didn't have confusion in the officers, and you didn't have disagreement on the follow up to it. I think that's an important factor.”
Once officers came in physical contact with Tucker, aid did not look to be immediately rendered. Instead, Tucker’s pockets are sorted through.
Malik finds the delay in physical contact concerning.
Malik said, “In hindsight, the amount of time that expired between the shooting and the initiation of physical aid to Jazmir is deeply troubling to me. I want to be clear that any unreasonable delay in the rendering of aid by police officers is unacceptable and has no place in Akron. This issue will also be part of our internal investigation, but in the meantime, Chief Harding has instructed APD leadership to conduct roll call trainings immediately with all of our patrol officers regarding on scene security and rendering aid.”
There’s been a lot of discussion as to whether Tucker actually had a weapon on him at the time of the shooting.
Body camera footage reveals 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.
The City of Akron confirms two shell casings were recovered near Miller South School. Those will now be tested to determine whether it matches the gun found in Tucker’s pocket.
“There was a firearm recovered at the scene which at least tells us this subject probably could have been involved in the shots fired that the officers may have heard and or may have been reported through their dispatch service. The other question comes up: Did he fire the gun? [And then] saw the officers approaching and did he hide the gun in his pocket? So once again, we're going to need more details from all the officers,” Dimoff said.
Malik released a statement regarding the shooting of the 15-year-old and the ongoing investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Due to the angle of the body cameras and the bright light shining on Jazmir after he was initially shot, it's hard to make out from the videos what exactly happened leading up to the shooting and immediately following it. A gun was recovered from Jazmir’s zipped-up jacket pocket. Given that, why did the officer decide to use his weapon?
That question will be addressed by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), which began its investigation last Thursday night. Once BCI has completed its investigation the results are presented to the Ohio Attorney General’s office for review and presentation to a grand jury of citizens in Summit County. The grand jury will determine whether criminal charges should be filed. When that process is complete, the full BCI investigation file will be available to the public. Additionally, after the grand jury process, the city will conduct an internal investigation into the use of force and determine whether a violation occurred.
As our community watches these videos, I know there will be many more questions. I wish we had more answers to provide in this moment. There are many questions we will not be able to answer until the BCI investigation is completed. We do know that two shell casings were recovered at the Northeast portion of Miller South, and that those are being tested against the gun that was recovered. I think anytime we have young people carrying weapons, we have to ask ourselves why and we have to work to change that.
While the BCI and grand jury process moves forward, there are steps that the City of Akron must take now. This year, there have been several incidents involving use of force that have raised significant concerns. In recent months, I have shared plans to conduct a comprehensive review of Akron’s use of force policy and practices, as well as agency culture. This is essential to ensuring effective and accountable policing in our community. Next week, I will share more details about our use of force review – and how I believe that will translate into meaningful and systemic change.
I have an enormous amount of respect for our officers and the challenging situations they can face. So far this year, APD officers have recovered over 950 illegally-carried guns in our community, and those situations thankfully did not result in loss of life.
But this incident did result in loss of life, and our focus must be on doing everything we can to improve our response to situations like this. That focus is my responsibility as mayor, that is what our community deserves. Our community must have trust in our police department – and that requires accountability in specific incidents and strengthening of our policy, practices, and culture.
To any resident wishing to exercise their constitutional right to peacefully protest in reaction to this incident, protesting is a highly protected form of freedom of speech and the city will do all we can to make space for that. We will also be prepared in the event that any demonstration becomes unlawful which would include damage to property or injuries to others. Everyone has a right to protest but not in a way that harms or endangers others.
To those in our community who are hurting right now, I want you to know I hear you. To those who are frustrated or angry, I hear you. And to those who want to see action, I view this as essential for our community and it is my commitment to you that you will see it.
The end of the body camera footage shows a handful of Akron police officers rummaging through Tucker’s pockets and eventually peeling back his jacket.
While that portion of the video blurs Tucker’s body, it’s clear there are gunshot wounds to the left side of his person.
Tucker was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries and died.
The mayor continued in the statement.
To lose someone in an officer involved shooting is truly heartbreaking – especially someone so young. Jazmir Tucker was beloved by many people, and my heart is with his family, friends, and classmates as they deal with this terrible loss.
An officer’s decision to use deadly force is the most consequential decision they can make and the circumstances surrounding the use of deadly force demand a heightened scrutiny. Often, in these incidents, viewing the officer-worn body camera footage and other available video helps to clarify circumstances and answer some questions. It can also raise additional questions.
Today, we are releasing several videos from this incident. After viewing them, I am left with many serious questions. The two officers who initially responded did not activate their body cameras upon exiting their vehicle. At some point, the cameras were automatically activated due to the presence of a nearby cruiser with activated lights, and once activated, the cameras can automatically store 30 seconds of video without audio – so we have some video, without audio, of the shooting itself. So my initial questions were why the cameras were not activated by the officers and whether this violated the body worn camera policy. This will be reviewed in our internal investigation.
I also believe that many will ask why the officers used rifles instead of handguns in responding to this incident. This will be something that we discuss more going forward, including in the internal investigation, and as part of our comprehensive review of use of force, including when and how different weapons are used.
The officer who fired his weapon at Tucker is on paid administrative leave as the State of Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations reviews the incident.
“The video just doesn't show all the facts. It shows parts of the facts,” Dimoff said.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding released the following statement Thursday night:
I want to share my condolences with the family and friends of Jazmir Tucker. An incident like this is tragic for our officers, for our community, but most especially for the loved ones who lost someone. I know that no officer ever wants to use their weapon in the line of duty. It is the most serious decision any officer can make and when that decision results in loss of life, it’s an outcome none of us wish to see.
The independent investigation is in its early stages and there is much we still don’t know about what occurred. Even after viewing the videos, there are many things we do not know. I know that there are many in our community who will have questions and concerns related to the timeliness of the body worn camera activation, the delay in rendering aid, and the shooting itself. I hear those concerns, and my hope is that the investigation will provide more clarity. Our community, our department, and most importantly, Jazmir’s family deserve and need answers to those questions.
I want to thank the State of Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation for agreeing to take on this case. I am confident they will conduct an investigation that will provide answers to many of the current unknowns. We can only build trust with accountability and so that will be critical as the investigation unfolds. At the conclusion of BCI’s investigation, I will order our Office of Professional Standards and Accountability to conduct an internal investigation to determine if any policies were violated.
I know the men and women of the Akron Police Department to be some of the finest people I’ve met. They are dedicated to their roles and to their service to this community. Incidents like this are hard on our community and our officers. I thank our officers for continuously showing up for our residents and for the important work they do day in and day out in Akron.
Finally, I support Mayor Malik’s vision for a use of force policy review. Our department and our officers will be involved every step of the way in helping to address questions and concerns from our residents throughout that process. I believe this review will help better set our officers and our citizens up for success in all our encounters and help ensure that unwanted outcomes are less likely.
News 5 spoke with the Akron Chapter President of NAACP, Judy Hill, about her thoughts on the body camera footage.
“A 15-year-old or anyone is no match for a gun, especially if you don't see a gun in possession and based on what I saw in that video, I did not see a gun in the hands of that young person,” Hill said. “What I did not see was a young man, a 15-year-old with a gun, pointing it at an officer. I did not see that.”
Hill acknowledged that there are juveniles in Akron who cause trouble but said that the Akron Police Department needs to articulate a better method of working with young people.
“It's not justified,” she said. “We're sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm really tired of doing these interviews with you. I'd love to be able to come on and say, ‘Hey, the city is making the right moves.’”
Dimoff said there is still so much to follow this shooting as the video only shows bits and pieces of an everlasting moment.
“The video does block out certain important aspects of what happened,” Dimoff said.
He explained how incident reports from that night explaining in detail what the officers on the scene saw and heard would be the most important piece of evidence.
Aside from that, there are several questions that come to Dimoff’s mind that need to be answered and will likely be brought up by prosecutors.
“When did they pull up? What observations did they make? How long after pulling into that area did the officer shoot. What was the rough distance that he shot at? What was the reason? What did he think he saw? After the shots fired, how much time before the officers approach the individual? If that time frame is questionable, we need to examine the why behind that. Why did they wait X amount of minutes before they approached him? I'm sure the question is going to come up as to why was first aid not applied immediately,” Dimoff rattled off.
He added there could be a variety of reasons as to why officers didn’t immediately approach Tucker, both good and bad.
Another question I asked Dimoff was when it’s appropriate for officers to discharge a rifle rather than a handgun.
He said, “Many times when you're outside and an officer is approaching a dangerous situation, the rifle has a scope on it. The rifle sometimes is a lot easier to handle when shooting at a distance. I'm guessing that maybe an officer felt the subject was so far away that he needed to grab a rifle to be more accurate, to be able to control the subject in case the subject returns fire or does anything else aggressive. That's usually why they'll grab a rifle versus their personal handgun.”
She also asked Dimoff how high the bar is set with court cases dealing with fatal officer-involved shootings.
“If the testimony, the videos, the other reports, other officers can and do corroborate that other officers felt the same danger to maybe not them, but to the officer that fired or one of them, that's going to be a real important aspect,” he answered. “It's actually much better because let's just say there's six to eight officers there, it's going to be awfully difficult for all eight officers to have the same type of comments, justification and be able to explain it in a way that synchronizes in a totality of opinions and thoughts.”
Tucker’s family, along with a Cochran Firm Ohio lawyer participating in an independent investigation into the shooting, held a very brief press conference Thursday night.
Due to Tucker’s family not being able to fully process the footage at that time, they only shared a few words.
His aunt said, “Our family is just devastated. We’re just hoping for prayers, looking for prayers.”
RELATED: Family left with questions after 15-year-old boy shot and killed by Akron police
Pastors in the recently-formed Greater Fellowship of Akron Clergy have also raised concerns about the shooting and response time to provide aid.
"It took seven to 10 minutes before any aid was rendered. That's an abuse that I wouldn't wish on a dog," said Pastor R. Stacey Jenkins with House of Prayer for All People Church.
Jaland Finney, assistant pastor at Second Baptist Church, believes the name of the officer should have been released the day after the shooting. The city is planning to release personnel files in the coming days.
"What's the officer's record? What's his background. Is that known by the community? I believe, in the interest of transparency, that the community needs to know more," Finney said.
Akron Councilman at Large Eric D. Garrett Sr. released the following statement, calling for the officer who shot the teen to be fired:
"The tragic and senseless killing of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker has shaken our community to its core and exposed glaring failures in policing and humanity. Jazmir posed no visible threat, as he never brandished a weapon, yet he was met with the force of a modified wartime military style assault rifle which was an extreme and unnecessary use of deadly force against a child.
What followed was equally horrifying. Jazmir was left to bleed out while officers delayed providing life-saving aid, instead waiting for a police shield. The failure to immediately call and receive assistance from the fire department care that could have saved his life is both negligent and unacceptable. The tragic killing of the 15-year-old kids body lay there from 11:01pm until 11:10pm before emergency services could be offered to this child.
This gross amount of time wasted could have been the difference in saving this kid's life. Request for an exact timeline between the Akron Police Department and the Akron fire department communication is critical. The failure to timely activate his body worn camera is extremely problematic. Even in his final moments, there was no regard for his dignity; his pants were left down, and he was treated not as a human being but as an animal. This level of disregard for life and humanity cannot be tolerated.
I am calling on Mayor Malik and Chief Harding to terminate the officer responsible for this tragedy immediately. This officer has prior excessive use of force charges. Enough is enough.
We must hold this officer accountable and send a clear message that such actions will not be allowed in Akron.
To Jazmir’s family, my heart breaks for you. No family should have to endure this kind of loss. Your grief, anger, and call for justice are echoed by so many in our community. We must use this moment to demand accountability and push for systemic reforms to ensure this never happens again."
