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The police in Akron, Ohio are being questioned following the fatal shooting of a teenager by an officer. The mayor of the city and the family of the 15-year-old, Jazmir Tucker, have expressed concerns about the actions of the officers during the incident.
Written by Mitch Smith
Recently, a video showing the police shooting of 15-year-old high school student Jazmir Tucker in Akron, Ohio, has raised concerns from the city’s mayor and the teenager’s family about the actions of the officers involved.
The city released video footage on Thursday showing a partial view of a shooting incident, but it did not provide much information about what happened before. According to Akron officials, police officers heard gunshots nearby on Thanksgiving night and got out of their vehicle to check when they came across the teenager. One of the officers then fired a rifle at the teenager. Mayor Shammas Malik stated that a gun was found in a zipped pocket on the teenager’s clothing.
"Why did the officer choose to use his gun?" Mr. Malik questioned, also expressing worries about the police response time in providing medical assistance to Jazmir.
Brian Lucey, the president of the local police union, supported the officers’ actions, stating that they had to make a quick decision in the moment. He is confident that the investigation being carried out by Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation will show that the officers acted appropriately.
The recent shooting in Akron, a city in northeast Ohio with a population of around 190,000 people, has raised concerns about the use of force and treatment of Black men and boys by police officers.
One well-known case involved a grand jury’s decision not to charge eight Akron officers in the 2022 killing of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times during a traffic stop. The city has since agreed to a $4.8 million settlement with Walker’s family.
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