The Akron officer who fatally shot a 15-year-old on Thanksgiving night was also involved in the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker 2½ years ago, according to an attorney representing the teen’s family.
The family of Jazmir Tucker, along with their attorneys from the Cochran Law Firm, spoke publicly Friday morning at The Remedy Church after reviewing police-worn body camera footage of the incident released the night before.
Attorney Stanley Jackson said they have confirmed that the officer who shot Jazmir was also involved in the high-profile shooting of Walker, which sparked numerous protests and calls for police reform in Akron. None of the eight officers in Walker’s death were criminally charged.
The city has not released the names of the officers involved in either shooting.
Police footage of Jazmir’s death has left the family “with more questions than answers,” attorney Robert Greshem said.
Two Akron officers were leaving their cruiser around 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving to investigate the shots when they encountered Jazmir. One officer, a five-year veteran, fired his weapon, striking Jazmir. The second officer never fired.
Ashley Green, Jazmir Tucker’s mother, talks about her son during a news conference Friday at The Remedy Church in Akron with family attorney Stanley Jackson on one side and her great-aunt Connie Sutton on the other.
Greshem said he had no comment about a gun officers found on Jazmir. He said the fact that the teen had a gun was irrelevant because officers didn’t know he had it until they unzipped his jacket after he was shot.
While the family appreciates Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s statement acknowledging questions about the officer’s apparent use of an assault rifle and possible delays in providing first aid to Jazmir, “this is unfortunately the culture of the Akron Police Department Greshem said.
“Driving cruisers around and shooting 15-year-olds is unacceptable,” he said. “We are going to do everything we can to conduct our own research. We will make sure the family gets answers.
“We shouldn’t have to wait for those answers.”
Greshem also said they have not yet received a response to their public records requests.
Meanwhile, the family is still processing their grief over Jazmir’s death. Jazmir had seven siblings, including a twin brother.
His mother, Ashley Green, said Jazmir, or “Jaz” as his friends and family called him, was on his way to his older brother’s house the night he was shot. The older brother witnessed the shooting.
“We laughed and had a good time,” she said.
She later learned about her son’s death through social media.
“Jazmir was trying out for the basketball team,” she said. “He had a bright future ahead of him.”
She said watching the body camera video of her son’s death “was like watching ‘Call of Duty.’ “He was my baby,” she said. “He wasn’t some thug on the street.”
The family and their attorneys are still waiting for the official autopsy report, so they don’t know how many times Jazmir was shot or where he was shot.
This article originally appeared in Akron Beacon Journal: Akron officer Jayland Walker killed teen shot, attorney says
