The newly released autopsy report of the 15-year-old fatally shot by an Akron police officer on Thanksgiving sheds light on how he died and how many times he was shot.
Jazmir Tucker sustained three gunshot wounds: two to his torso and one to his arm, Summit County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler said in a Wednesday press conference.
The torso wounds entered his mid-back and lower back, Kohler said.
“Both of the wounds to the torso were lethal,” Kohler said.
Quicker medical aid likely would not have saved his life, Kohler added. One of the torso wounds damaged his heart and lungs and was “rapidly lethal,” Kohler said.
Community members and city leaders have criticized the responding officers for not rendering aid for approximately seven minutes after he was shot.
“Because the heart was damaged by the gunshot wound injury, more rapid aid would not have changed course of events here,” Kohler said. "The wound to his heart would have been very devastating and rapid."
The cause of death was ruled a homicide, she added.
“Our ruling of homicide is a medical ruling meaning death at the hands of another and is not a legal conclusion,” Kohler said.
Tucker’s death and the released body camera footage of the incident sparked calls for the officer to be fired, as well as questions about the events leading up to the shooting. The officers who responded to the scene did not activate their body cameras. Their cameras were turned on automatically when another cruiser near the scene activated its lights, according to city officials.
In a statement released following the press conference, attorneys for the Tucker family, the Cochran Law Firm, said the autopsy indicates Tucker was shot in the back.
"The tragic death of Jazmir Tucker was made even more difficult for his family today with the revelation that he was struck in the back by two bullets from an officer with the Akron Police Dept.,” attorneys said in the statement. “Jazmir's family is devastated knowing that it now appears he wasn't even looking in the officer's direction when he was shot and killed.”
Kohler was not able to speculate on whether Tucker was running away when he was shot, she said. Medical officials were also not able to determine what position Tucker was in when he was shot, Kohler added.
“That is based as though he were standing in anatomic position upright with his hands down to his side,” Kohler said.
Following the press conference, Malik released a statement thanking the medical examiner's office and expressing condolences to the Tucker family.
"I want to thank the staff of the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office for their work in preparing the report that was shared today. This report will be part of the evidence reviewed in the independent investigation being conducted by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)," Malik wrote. "As this process continues, and particularly on this day, I want to again express my heartfelt sympathies to the family and loved ones of Jazmir Tucker."
Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Shott conducted the autopsy the day after Tucker was shot on Nov. 29, 2024, Kohler said. Kohler reviewed the findings and signed off on the report on Jan. 14, she said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
