AKRON, Ohio — The family of Michael Jones broke their silence eleven days after the 54-year-old man was shot and killed by an Akron police officer during an altercation inside a U-Haul truck.
Tiara Chavis, the eldest of eight children, spoke about the pain of her family's sudden loss and raised questions about the deadly incident that happened on Aug. 17 outside of the Duke and Duchess gas station on East Avenue in Akron.
"It's just hard to know that he's gone," Chavis said. "It's just a feeling that you don't want nobody else to ever have to feel."
Chavis said her dad was family-oriented, loved his kids and enjoyed old-school rap music.
"We lost somebody that genuinely loved us for who we were and it's just hard," Chavis said.
According to Akron police, Jones rented a U-Haul truck for 24 hours on July 25, but it wasn't returned. A theft report was filed on Aug. 16, just before midnight.
A little more than an hour later— around 1:04 a.m.— Jones was shot and killed in that vehicle.
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Body camera video and surveillance camera footage from the gas station, released over the weekend, captured part of what happened early that morning.
The officer, who hasn't been identified, approached the U-Haul in the parking lot. The officer ordered Jones out of the car and told him he was under arrest.
Jones can be heard asking, 'What's going on?" and "For what?"
Moments later, that officer and a second officer got into the vehicle through the driver's side door, and the video captured a struggle that lasted about 15 seconds inside the U-Haul.
The officers were still partially inside the vehicle when it began to move forward. Police said two shots were fired, killing Jones.
Attorney Bobby DiCello, who represents Chavis and five of her siblings, criticized the decision by the officers to get into the U-Haul.
"Let me clear, there's no technique in law enforcement called jump in the lap of the driver," DiCello said.
Chavis said she felt like her father wasn't given a chance to cooperate.
"Excessive, unfair, I don't feel like he was given a chance," she said. "The way the situation played out, it was unnecessary."
DiCello echoed those sentiments and said he was struck by the officer's "cavalier attitude."
"When the driver of a civilian box truck, rental car, rental vehicle asks 'why am I being arrested?' Why not answer him?" DiCello said.
Police said after the shooting, Jones was handcuffed, and officers began providing medical attention, but he died at the scene.
Outside of the U-Haul, police found a loaded gun "on or near" Jones. It's not clear if the officers saw the gun during the struggle in the vehicle.
BCI continues to investigate the deadly shooting. A central question for agents— and ultimately for a Summit County grand jury to consider— did the officer feel his life or the lives of others were in danger?
While Chavis waits for answers to her questions, she's left feeling heartbroken.
"Why did this have to happen? What made him a threat?" Chavis said.
DiCello said it's too early to say if the family will pursue a civil lawsuit, but he indicated he's encouraged by the prospect of having meaningful dialogue with the city.
In a statement released over the weekend, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said he's committed to making sure the community continues to have robust, open conversations about public safety.
"My thoughts remain with the loved ones of Mr. Jones, and with the officers involved," Malik said.
Brian Lucey, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Akron Lodge #7, said in a statement after the incident that the situation was difficult for everyone involved.
"We are confident when all of the facts are released, our officer's actions will be deemed justified," Lucey added.
