Nationwide — Jazmir Tucker, a 15-year-old African American teenage boy from Akron, Ohio, was reportedly shot and killed by police during a foot chase. The incident is under investigation, with questions about the police’s use of force and body camera footage.
Body camera footage, though not immediately activated, shows an officer firing his rifle, hitting Tucker. Despite already being wounded from the shooting, the officers continued to treat him as a threat, shouting orders to stop moving and show his hands.
“He was reaching with his right hand. We need someone to check the parking lot behind us, that’s where he was shooting,” the officer said, explaining why he fired.
After handcuffing Tucker and securing the scene, the video shows officers found a gun with an extended clip in Tucker’s jacket. Officers provided first aid until paramedics arrived. The teenager was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Mayor Shammas Malik has questioned the officer’s decision to use a rifle, as well as the delay in providing aid to Tucker.
The mayor said, “In hindsight, the amount of time that expired between the shooting and the initiation of physical aid to Jazmir is deeply troubling to me. I want to be clear that any unreasonable delay in the rendering of aid by police officers is unacceptable and has no place in Akron.”
He also raised concerns about whether the officers violated body camera protocols, as the cameras weren’t turned on right away.
Tucker’s family, who viewed the footage, expressed their grief.
“He was always laughing. Everybody loved Jaz and Jaz loved everyone else. He loved to do yard work. Our family is just devastated,” said his great-aunt, Connie Sutton.
Meanwhile, the officer involved in the shooting is currently on paid administrative leave while the Ohio BCI investigates the incident.