Police in Akron, Ohio, have released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in what the city’s mayor called a “very disturbing” incident.
The video of the Thanksgiving night killing of Jazmir Tucker does not clearly show what led to the shooting, but the officer opened fire as soon as he encountered the boy, and a group of officers shot him as soon as he saw the boy. It is suggested that after firing the shots, he waited seven minutes before approaching the boy. I was shot. A lawyer for the family said it took less than 10 minutes for police to begin their rescue efforts.
“In hindsight, the time that has elapsed between the shooting and the beginning of material assistance to Jaz Mill is deeply disturbing,” Akron Mayor Shamas Malik said in a statement Thursday in conjunction with the video’s release. said. “I want to make it clear that unreasonable delays in providing police assistance are unacceptable and have no place in Akron.”
According to police, just after 11 p.m. on Nov. 28, two patrol officers heard gunshots nearby and got out of a parked car to investigate. Officers then encountered Jazmil and gave chase, officials said. One of the officers fired an assault rifle at the boy, fatally wounding him. The boy was later pronounced dead at a hospital, and the officers were not injured.
The boy was found with a gun in his zippered pocket, raising concerns about why deadly force was used, Malik said. “Why did the police officer choose to use his weapon?”
The approximately eight-minute video released by police is difficult to decipher. Sound is turned off for the first 30 seconds. This is the standard setting when your body camera first turns on. Shooting will take place within that time frame. The officer chased Jazmir, raised his rifle and fired for about three seconds, possibly firing about seven times, according to the footage.
However, the shooting officer’s arm and long gun obscure the camera’s view, and Jazmir is not visible in the moments before and after the shooting.
As the video began to play, the officer and others could be heard shouting at Jazmil, who was on the ground, and repeatedly instructing the unresponsive boy to put his hands up. Eight to 10 police officers finally converged about seven minutes after Jazmil was shot. At that point, officers handcuffed him and searched his pockets. Police have not released details about what officers did to try to save his life.
The mayor said the footage left him with “serious questions”, including why police officers did not activate their cameras upon arrival. He said the presence of a nearby cruiser whose lights were activated eventually caused the camera to start recording automatically.
“Many will also wonder why the officers used a rifle rather than a handgun in response to this incident,” Malik said. “This will be discussed further in the future as part of an internal investigation and a comprehensive review of the use of force, including when and how different weapons are used.”
The family’s attorney said in a statement that the fact that Jazmil had a weapon was “irrelevant because the officers did not know he had a weapon until he unzipped his pockets after he was shot.” Ta.
“Police made a number of tactical mistakes in this case, starting with the aggressiveness with which they initiated this pursuit,” attorney Robert Gresham said in a statement. It was to shoot and kill.” . “What I see as the biggest issue here is that there is a culture of violence in this particular police department.”
Another family lawyer, Stanley Jackson, added: “The mayor and the police department have weaponized the police by allowing them to carry assault rifles, haven’t they? And they weaponize Jazz’s skin and youth. That’s the problem.”
Jazmil’s relatives told a news conference that they were shocked by his death. Ashley Greene said her son was an “amazing kid” and added: “I was so hurt that I couldn’t save the baby.”
“It broke my heart to see that no one came to save my baby,” Green said, according to FOX 8 News. “The police never spoke to us. We had to find out through social media that it was my son.”
Jazz Mill’s great-aunt, Connie Sutton, described him as a child who was always laughing and said, “Everyone loved Jazz, and Jazz loved everyone else.”
The officer who fired the shot has been on the job for nearly five years. He and his partner are on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy and their names are not being released.
“Our community, our police department, and most importantly, Ms. Jazmir’s family deserve and need answers to these questions,” Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said in a statement. Ta.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, and Akron police are conducting a separate internal investigation.
In October, the city of Akron fired 480 shots at Jayland Walker’s family after eight police officers fired 94 shots at 25-year-old Jayland Walker in a 2022 incident that sparked widespread protests. A settlement of $1,000 was paid. A grand jury last year declined to indict the officers in the killing, which began with a traffic stop over a broken taillight.
On Friday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the city can continue to conceal the name of the officer who shot and killed Walker.