The family of Jazmir Tucker, the 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed Thanksgiving night by an officer with the Akron Police Department, addressed the media on Friday, December 6th alongside members of their legal team from The Cochran Firm Ohio. The family was shown the body cam footage on Thursday, December 5th. 

Jazmir was a freshman at North High School in Akron and is being mourned by family and friends, including his twin brother Amir.

His mother said Jazmir, or "Jaz" as his friends and family called him, was heading to his older brother's house on the night when he was shot. 

At the news conference, Cochran Firm attorneys spoke to numerous failures that continue to permeate the police department, calling for change and accountability, as well as the tactical issues that resulted in young Jazmir’s death.

"In this particular case, the police department did a number of things tactically wrong in this case, starting with the aggressiveness that they initiated this pursuit… These officers came out with the intent to do one thing, shoot and kill,”

– Robert Greshem

On the night of the fatal incident, 2 Akron police officers left their vehicle at about 11 pm on Thanksgiving to investigate shots they heard in the nearby area when they encountered Jazmir. One officer, a five-year veteran, fired his rifle and struck Jazmir. The second officer never fired. The officers did not render aid to the wounded teen for 10 minutes. As the incident continued, body camera footage revealed a gun was recovered from Jazmir’s pocket, which was zipped closed and contained other items that buried the gun deeper inside his pocket.

When asked about the gun at the press conference, Cochran Firm attorneys noted the fact that Jazmir had a weapon was irrelevant because officers didn't know he had it until they unzipped his pocket after he was shot.

"What I perceive to be the biggest issue here is there's a culture of violence in this particular police department. There's an issue here. There's a problem here, and this police department needs to be addressed. It needs to be reviewed, and things need to change yesterday."

-Greshem

Stanley Jackson said the mayor and the department are responsible for weaponizing the police.

“The mayor and the police department weaponized the police by allowing them to carry assault rifles, right? And then, the police department weaponizes Jaz's skin and his youth. That's the problem. You give someone a high-powered rifle, and then they're not properly trained, and there's a culture to assault and kill Black males— that's the tragedy,"

-Stanley Jackson

The city has not released the names of the officers involved in the fatal shooting.

The Cochran Firm, hired by Jazmir's family to conduct an independent investigation into his death, is calling for full cooperation and transparency from the City of Akron.

"This family wants to push for a full criminal investigation and charges if and where warranted, and finally, a full audit and review of Akron Police Department practices and procedures,"

-Greshem 

The family and their attorneys are still awaiting the official autopsy report, and many questions remain unanswered.