Editor's note:

This story was updated to include new information from the Akron Police Department on the age of the suspect, the 15 year old’s name and a statement from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.

An Akron Police officer fatally shot a 15-year-old Thursday around 11 p.m. when the officer and his partner heard gunfire and encountered the teenager with a loaded firearm, according to a statement from the Akron Police Department.

The officer involved and his partner were sitting in their marked police cruiser filing a report from a previous incident when they heard gunfire and left their vehicle to investigate near Vernon Odom Boulevard and East Avenue in Akron’s Sherbondy Hill neighborhood.

They encountered Jazmir Tucker, who was identified in a statement from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s office, with a loaded firearm. One of the officers shot the teen, who was transported to a nearby hospital where he died, the statement said. Police said they provided emergency first aid until EMS arrived.

Malik statement Friday about the shooting said, “Every loss of life is a tragedy, and to lose a young life is heartbreaking. My condolences are with Jazmir’s loved ones tonight. My thoughts are also with our Akron police officers and their families.“

Malik also asked for community members to “reserve judgment until more facts are shared, knowing that it is a difficult thing to ask in situations like this.” He said the city will release body-worn camera footage in the next week.

The two officers were uninjured in the incident.

The officer involved in the shooting has served nearly five years with the department. The second officer, who has less than one year of service, did not fire his weapon, the release stated.

The two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave per departmental procedure.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation responded to the scene and will conduct the investigation. When that is completed, the case will be submitted to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review before it is submitted to the Summit County Grand Jury for evaluation.

Akron’s Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will conduct a separate internal investigation. Their results will be provided to the police chief and Akron’s Independent Police Auditor.

An update from the police Friday afternoon stated the investigation is ongoing, with further details expected to be released soon.

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.