Newly released bodycam footage from the Akron Police Department sheds some light, and raises many questions, about the incident in which an officer fatally shot 15 year old Jazmir Tucker on Thanksgiving.
The footage starts with officers running toward Tucker with weapons drawn. One officer with an AR-15-style rifle fired. There was no sound for the first 30 seconds of the bodycam videos, including when Tucker was shot. Tucker is not seen in the video until he is being handcuffed.
After the shooting, officers continued to yell, "Stop moving," and, "Put your hands out." One officer said he saw Tucker "reaching with his right hand" and said he had a firearm on his right hip. Police later found a handgun in Tucker's zipped coat pocket.
The two officers who initially approached Tucker and whose names have not yet been revealed were working on a report from a previous call in their parked police cruiser at East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard around 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving, according to the initial police report. They heard gunshots, got out of their car to investigate and encountered a man with a loaded firearm, according to the initial release.
The bodycam footage shows officers with weapons drawn. One officer asked if others could check the parking lot behind him for potential victims of shots they believed Tucker took.
After a few minutes, the group of officers approached Tucker, who was lying on the ground, to handcuff him. Officers unzipped his coat pocket and pulled out a flashlight and a gun.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave. The officer who fired the shot is a five-year veteran of the department and the other officer has been on the force for less than a year, according to Akron Police.
Lawyers from The Cochran Firm Ohio who are representing Tucker's family did not take questions at a Thursday night press conference, saying the family needs more time to process and the legal team needs more time to review the footage. The family and legal team will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Friday.
In a statement, Mayor Shammas Malik said the footage has raised many questions, including why officers did not turn on their body cameras.
"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," he said in a statement. "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."
Malik also questioned the use of rifles in the altercation.
"I also believe that many will ask why the officers used rifles instead of handguns in responding to this incident," he said in the statement. "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 amount of time between the shooting and the administration of first aid is also concerning, Malik said.
"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," he said in a statement. He said police leadership will immediately conduct "roll call trainings" on scene security and rendering aid.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding addressed the mayor's concerns in the same release.
"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," he said. "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.
Malik has called a press conference Friday to further discuss the shooting.
Harding said he supports the review of the city's use of force policy.
"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," Harding said in the statement. "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.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation into the fatal shooting. The findings will be submitted to the Ohio Attorney General for review. It will then also be submitted to the Akron Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and Accountability, the internal affairs unit, as well as the city’s independent police auditor.
Earlier this week, Akron City Council President Margo Sommerville called for better training for the police department and more mentorship programs for the city’s youth.
“Because we're having these conversations far too often,” Sommerville said. “We have to continue to look at how we can make sure that we're being proactive, you know, really focusing on training, putting resources and money towards training, particularly deescalating.”
Over the past week, some Akron residents have expressed outrage and concerns over police violence, particularly against young people in the city.
At a memorial service Sunday, Akron resident Tia Ray said incidents like undermine trust between youth and the police.
“This is very heartbreaking because I have a 15-year-old son," Ray said. "This is his friend. He's never experienced this before. My son is in the mind frame where he don't like the police. He don't trust the police. And I don't want him to think that.”
Resident Lillian Barnes echoed this sentiment during the public comment period of the city council meeting Monday night.
“This baby should not be dead,” Barnes said. “All officers are not bad, but the ones who [are] making it bad, are killing us and our children.”
Akron activists have planned protests for Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 6 p.m. in Downtown Akron.
"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," Malik said in a statement. "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."
