15-year-old ID’d as armed person fatally shot by Ohio police on Thanksgiving

A 15-year-old Ohio boy has been identified as the armed individual who was killed in a shooting by police on Thanksgiving night.

Jazmir Tucker was fatally shot in Akron just before 11 p.m. on Thursday. His name was released by the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office and confirmed by the city’s mayor Friday night.

“Every loss of life is a tragedy, and to lose a young life is heartbreaking,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik wrote in a post on Facebook. “My condolences are with Jazmir’s loved ones tonight. My thoughts are also with our Akron police officers and their families.”

The shooting unfolded in the Sherbondy Hill neighborhood, near the intersection of East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard, according a press release from Akron police. A pair of patrol officers were parked in the area, reviewing a separate case, when they heard gunshots ring out nearby. They both exited their cruiser to investigate and quickly encountered Tucker, who police said was armed with a loaded weapon at the time.

One of the officers, a five-year veteran of the Akron Police Department, then discharged his firearm, striking the teen. Police said the officers rendered first aid until an ambulance arrived and transported Tucker to a hospital, where he died a short time later.

While only one of the cops fired their weapon, both officers have since been placed on administrative leave per department policy and are cooperating with investigators. Neither of their names have been released.

Malik said an investigation into the officer-involved shooting is being carried out by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Bodycam video of the incident will be released “within the next week” for the sake of “transparency,” he said.

Akron police will also conduct a separate internal investigation and provide those results to the city’s police auditor.

No other information was provided, including the details of what exactly occurred in the leadup to the shooting.

“I ask our community to reserve judgment until more facts are shared, knowing that it is a difficult thing to ask in situations like this,” the mayor added.

With News Wire Services