Jazmir Tucker was laid to rest Friday morning in a sharp green and black suit — the colors of Akron Preparatory School, where he previously attended. His identical twin, Amir, wore the same outfit.
Briana Hicks of The Remedy Church implored Amir to bear his brother’s legacy.
Superintendent Ashley Miles presented on behalf of Akron Preparatory School a framed, game-worn basketball jersey bearing Jazmir’s last name. The posthumous gesture honored a 15-year-old who held high ambitions on the court.
“We love you,” Miles said to Jazmir’s mother, Ashley Green. “You know how I feel about your boys. … We love all of you. Thank you so much for allowing us to educate your children.”
And Daren Brake, the lead pastor at The House of the Lord, said during the eulogy there will be some dark nights, referencing the emotional fallout following this fatal police-involved shooting on Thanksgiving night in the Sherbondy Hill area.
“Yes, there will be some weeping that we will have to experience through the night,” Brake said. “But there is a choice that will come in the morning.”
Several hundred people – including at least a dozen family members, escorted by private security — attended the service at The Remedy Church. Tears flowed during calling hours without discrimination from Black and white folks, adolescents and elders, their sobs punctuating instrumental music.
Tucker’s black casket was adorned with white flowers.
Services were sorrowful, but not without joy. Attendees expressed kinship through hugs and handshakes. Children laughed and played nearby.
Miles said she cancelled school for the day at Akron Preparatory School.
“The way he impacted our community and the love that he shared to us was something that we had to cancel for today,” Miles said of Tucker, who was a freshman at North High School.
Jazmir’s family and its attorneys plan to press for justice and change in an Akron Police Department marred by a recent history of high-profile and controversial fatal shootings. In 2024, the police department has been involved with at least three shootings of Black residents, two of which were fatal.
The state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling this case.
Said Brake: “I want to salute and commend the many community leaders that are addressing the systemic and political issues that have helped create an environment where this kind of traumatic travesty is possible.”