On Thanksgiving, hours before he was shot and killed by an Akron police officer, Jazmir Tucker spent the day with his family at his grandmother’s house, members of his family said. They laughed and ate together before the 15-year-old left to walk to his older brother’s home alone.
Around 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, two officers reported hearing gunfire before encountering the teen and chasing him on to the front lawn of Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts on East Avenue.
Police body-worn camera footage shows one officer firing multiple rounds from an assault-style rifle. Footage shows it took about seven minutes for the officers at the scene to render any first aid. Police found a loaded pistol zipped into Tucker’s coat pocket.
Tucker’s family and their attorneys held a press conference Friday morning to address the shooting of the North High School freshman.
“When is it appropriate to have assault rifles chasing 15-year-old kids walking to [their] brother’s house that night?” asked Stanley Jackson, an attorney with Cochran Firm Ohio. “… His older brother had to witness and hear his younger brother [being] shot and killed.”
The attorneys blamed Tucker’s death on Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, who family members said had not reached out to them. Jackson said the city’s police department should be under a Department of Justice consent decree following the Akron police killing of Jayland Walker in 2022.
“This young man’s life mattered,” Jackson said. “These officers and the police department and the mayor are a complete failure, a complete failure to us as citizens, to the community and to their own profession.”
Tucker’s mother, Ashley Green, and his great-aunt, Connie Sutton, were flanked by their attorneys at the press conference, with family members standing in a row behind them inside The Remedy Church. Together, they shared memories of Tucker and called for transparency and accountability from the city.
“He was there for us, just a kind, loving, funny kid,” Green said. “And I just miss him, and we want answers. I love him.”
While the attorneys called for answers from the City of Akron and its police department, his mother and great-aunt talked about how much Jazmir and his twin brother Amir mean to their family.
“Jaz was the sweetest person you ever wanted to meet,” Sutton said. “He was always there whenever any of us called him, and when he finished with what he was done with, he’d always ask, every single time, ‘Is there anything else you need me to do?’ It’s just a great loss.”
Jackson said Jazmir’s older brother, who was not present at the press conference, witnessed his brother’s death from his home.
Robert Gresham, another attorney for the family, said the firm is conducting its own investigation into the fatal shooting. They believe they know the identity of the officer who shot Tucker, but Signal Akron is withholding his name until it can be independently confirmed.
Jackson said the officers failed to render aid for nearly 10 minutes, which, they said, shows the officers did not follow the department’s policies.
“Ten minutes they’re within a few feet of him, he’s not moving,” Jackson said. “That’s intentional. Ten minutes, that means you have no regard for that young man’s life. That means you don’t see him as human.”
Time code on the body camera video footage shows that, from the point at which the officer fires his rifle, it takes seven minutes for officers to reach Tucker as he lay in the grass in front of the school. The officers handcuff him, then search him. They don’t appear to administer any CPR or first aid.
Gresham said there is a culture of violence in the Akron Police Department, one that has led to the deaths of several Black men, Tucker included.
“These officers came out with the intent to do one thing, shoot and kill, and that’s evidenced by the assault rifle they used, and that’s problematic,” Gresham said.
While the attorneys said they appreciate Malik’s initial press release, they say it doesn’t go far enough to address the questions the family and community have about the shooting. They also said that the mayor, who took office this year, hasn’t done enough to change the culture of policing in Akron following the recent high-profile killings of Walker in June 2022 and Michael Jones, who was killed by Akron police in August.
“What the city has done historically matters, and what the city has done historically has resulted in where we are today,” Gresham said. “Driving around, hopping out of cruisers with assault rifles and gunning down 15-year-olds is not protecting and serving.”
Gresham said the family may pursue civil litigation after their investigation concludes, but in the meantime, he called on the mayor to lead with transparency.
“So mayor, if you’re standing by your statements, lead this city in giving this family answers,” Gresham said. “This family wants to push for a full criminal investigation and charges if and where warranted, and finally, a full audit and review of Akron Police Department practices and procedures.”
The family said Tucker has yet to be laid to rest, and many of their questions have yet to be answered.
A reporter asked his mother how she wanted her son to be remembered.
“Just loving, caring, genuine, respectful,” Green said. “A baby, my baby.”
