Newly released body camera footage shows a man fatally shot by Akron Police Aug. 17 drove off with two officers partially in a U-Haul before he was shot.
According to the initial report, officers were investigating a stolen U-Haul at a gas station in the 2200 block of East Avenue in the city’s Kenmore neighborhood in the early hours of the morning.
Bodycam footage released with the security footage shows the unnamed officers lunge at Jones after Jones asks them why he was being arrested. Seconds later Jones appears to drive off with the officers hanging out of the vehicle door.
Bodycam footage shows two Akron police officers pull up to the gas station behind the U-Haul at 1:04 a.m.
Security camera footage released Saturday shows 54-year-old Michael Jones starting to drive away and then stop as the officers approach the U-Haul he was driving.
The first officer approaches the U-Haul and asks Jones to open the door.
When Jones does, the officer asks him to step out of the car.
“What’s going on?” Jones asks.
“Get out of the car,” the officer repeats. “You’re under arrest.”
“For what?” Jones asks.
At that point, both officers advance toward Jones in the car and begin grabbing him.
The footage shows a chaotic scene, as Jones apparently starts accelerating the vehicle while officers scuffle with him in the cab of the U-Haul.
“Don’t (expletive) do it!” one of the officers is heard saying as the vehicle begins moving.
“You’re going to get (expletive) shot!” an officer says.
One of the officers fired two rounds, fatally striking the suspect, according to the incident report.
The two officers handcuff Jones and drag him out of the vehicle, the video shows. They lay him on the ground and begin administering first-aid.
Jones died at the scene, according to police.
After the shooting, officers found a loaded handgun in the vehicle, according to the release.
The officer who shot Jones has been with the department for two and a half years, and is on paid administrative leave per department policy, according to the initial press release.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. The case will be turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review before being submitted to a Summit County Grand Jury for evaluation of whether to charge the officer.
The police department’s internal affairs unit, the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability, is also investigating. The results of their investigation will be provided to the police chief and the city’s police auditor for review, according to the release.
In a separate news release, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik gave condolences to Jones’ family and said he is also keeping the two officers in his thoughts.
“While it is never easy to watch someone’s last moments, I believe it is important that our community has a clear picture of what we know so far,” Malik said. “I also want to acknowledge that the investigative process is in the beginning stages.”
Jones’ children had a private viewing of the footage before it was released to the public, said Bobby DiCello, the attorney representing Jones’ family.
“They struggle to understand why the officers leapt into the truck, why they then tased him, and why they shot him, especially when Michael made no threats toward them of any kind,” DiCello said in a Saturday news release.
DiCello also represents the families of Jayland Walker, who was fatally shot by Akron Police in 2022, and Frank Tyson, who died in Canton police custody earlier this year.
A protest is planned in Downtown Akron at 6 p.m. Saturday to call for justice for Jones and Walker.
View the footage released by Akron Police here. This video contains violent content and may be disturbing.
