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Police have said that Jazmir Tucker was carrying a loaded weapon
when he was shot in November 2024. They said two officers heard
gunshots, later spotted Tucker and ran after him before one
fired multiple times.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said Officer Davon Fields was fired
for multiple policy violations, including failing to properly
provide medical aid and violating the department’s policy for
body-worn cameras. The mayor also cited other issues related to
a separate criminal allegation involving Fields.
“The loss of life and the circumstances in this case were
absolutely tragic, with enormous human and financial costs,”
Malik said in a statement. "We have a responsibility to make
policy changes that reduce the likelihood of cases like this
happening in the future.”
The head of Akron's police union called the firing unjust and
said the officer was being used as a “political scapegoat.” The
union plans to fight the firing, said Brian Lucey, president of
the local Fraternal Order of Police.
A grand jury decided against indicting the officer nearly a year
ago.
Weeks after the shooting, Akron's mayor said the bodycam video
of the shooting raised questions, including why officers didn’t
immediately turn on their cameras and why it took so long to
provide first aid.
In the video, the shooting officer’s arms and long gun block his
camera’s view, obscuring Tucker in the moments before he was
shot. Another officer’s camera recorded police unzipping the
jacket pocket of the wounded teenager and pulling out a handgun.
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