The family of a teenage boy shot by Akron Oh. police the night of Thanksgiving are demanding answers. Though the footage from the incident was released, it only made the details of what happened more confusing - even to the mayor.
Jazmir Tucker, a 15-year-old high school freshman, was last seen alive enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with his family the night of Nov. 28. Later that evening, his mother, Ashley Green, told reporters he walked to his brother’s house. However, on his stroll, he encountered the police.
Akron authorities said, at the time, they were in the area working on an incident report when they heard gunshots. Upon leaving their police cruiser, they saw Jazmir walking. Moments later, Jazmir was dead.
The city released body camera footage from the incident last week. Though, it’s uncertain the videos bridge the gap of what exactly happened moments before Jazmir was killed.
“It was like I was watching somebody play Call of Duty,” said Jazmir’s mother via News 5 Cleveland. “I just want answers.”
The Body Cam Video
In the videos, the teen was seen running from the officers before being cornered on the side of a high school building. The videos did not have audio nor visuals of the exact moment of the shooting.
The footage then showed several officers drawing their weapons toward the teen, one holding a rifle. One officer is heard saying the teen was reaching for something with his right hand. Another one addressed the teen as “suspect.” The officers repeatedly yelled commands for Jazmir to put his hands out to his sides. This went on for a few minutes, per the footage.
“We need someone to check the parking lot behind us. That’s where he was shooting,” the officer said in the video.
As the officers approached him, they continued repeating commands for the teen to put his hands out. The officers push closer to the teen, shuffling behind another officer with a shield, the video shows. The officers crowded around the boy, who appeared slumped over on the ground, per the video. They performed a search and then, finally, rendered aid. It’s unclear for how long the boy was unconscious as the officers yelled commands. He died of his injuries at the hospital.
The Aftermath
Akron authorities said they found a firearm inside the teen’s pocket, which was zipped closed. They also recovered two shell casings but it has not been confirmed whether those came from the firearm found on the teen.
Clearly, there are more questions left than answers despite the footage being released. Akron Mayor Shammas Malik had a few questions himself regarding the officers’ handling of the situation.
“So my initial questions were why the cameras were not activated by the officers and whether this violated the body worn camera policy,” said the mayor in a statement. “A gun was recovered from Jazmir’s zipped-up jacket pocket. Given that, why did the officer decide to use his weapon?”
The Bureau of Criminal Investigations launched a probe into the incident as well as the Akron Police Department. The two officers who shot are on paid administrative leave pending the investigation. This same departmnet was under fire for the nationally criticized shooting of 25-year-old shooting of Jayland Walker, who died in a rain of over 80 bullets fired by Akron police officers.