In the nearly one month since 54-year-old Michael Jones was fatally shot by Akron Police, activists and city leaders have called for answers and better training in the police department.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Through a public records request, Ideastream Public Media obtained the personnel files of the two officers involved, 26-year-old Michael Novak, who fatally shot Jones, and 29-year-old Nakoa Anderson. Novak remains on paid administrative leave.
Neither file showed prior discipline of the officers.
Both served in the military. Novak served in the Army and Anderson was a Marine, according to their resumes. Novak deployed to Iraq and was awarded a combat infantryman badge, according to the documents.
Anderson joined the Akron Police Department in December of 2020, while Novak was hired in March of 2022.
Past performance reviews show Anderson and Novak received satisfactory ratings from supervisors, according to the documents.
Body camera footage shows one of the officers, who appears to be Anderson, approach a U-Haul driven by Jones at a gas station. Officers were investigating after the U-Haul was reported stolen, according to the initial report.
When Jones asked why he was being arrested, both officers advanced toward Jones in the car and began grabbing him.
The footage shows a chaotic scene, as Jones apparently started accelerating the vehicle while officers scuffled with him in the cab of the U-Haul.
Novak fired two shots, killing Jones. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Last week, Akron’s police union, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7 issued “a vote of no confidence” for At-Large Councilmember Eric Garrett after he issued a news release about the shooting.
Garrett had said a gun was recovered from Jones after the shooting and was placed on the seat of the U-Haul to “create a narrative” about the shooting.
“It is not reckless to demand transparency, it is not inflammatory to seek justice, and it is not unlawful to represent the people of Akron by asking for honesty and accountability,” Garrett said in a statement responding to the FOP Thursday.
The FOP called the comments “reckless and inflammatory” and said they could influence the grand jury when the case is brought before it after the investigation.
Councilmembers Linda Omobien and Tina Boyes also gave remarks in a recent council meeting.
“We have to admit that we have an issue here, and we have to provide some training to address it. Because, for the life of me, I don’t even understand why this man was shot,” Omobien said.
Boyes, who represents Akron's Kenmore neighborhood where the shooting occurred, said Jones had recently been evicted. She expressed condolences to his family and concern for the officers.
“My constituents also wonder what they would do in an officer’s shoes if a driver drove off leaving them hanging by an open door,” Boyes said. “Still, others wonder what would they do if they found that they were under arrest but weren’t told why. Two things can be true at the same time.”
Jones was scheduled to be evicted in July, according to Akron Municipal Court records.
Bobby DiCello, attorney for Jones’ family, declined to comment on whether Jones was unhoused but said: “they are looking into the cause of the vehicle being late.”
“The notion that Michael may have stolen a U-Haul is something that deserves investigation and inspection. It just doesn’t deserve death,” DiCello said.
In a church service this week, DiCello told Jones’ family members that his team is in touch with federal officials about the case.
