Min. Dale Edwards Executive Director Call and Post
AKRON — The fight for justice has taken a new turn.
Nearly one year after 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker was shot and killed by an Akron police officer on Thanksgiving night 2024, his family has filed a sweeping federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Akron, Mayor Shammas Malik, Police Chief Brian Harding, Officer Davon Fields, and several unnamed officers. The lawsuit accuses the city of fostering unconstitutional policing practices and failing to protect the life of a child who should have been safe in their custody.
The shooting occurred near East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard. Body-camera footage—released only after mounting public pressure—showed officers arriving with rifles drawn. One officer fired an AR-15-style rifle, striking Tucker multiple times. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, reporting three bullet wounds, including one to the back.
A special grand jury later declined to indict the shooting officer, prompting outrage from clergy, civil rights leaders, youth advocates, and Akron families who have grown weary of police-involved deaths that end without accountability.
Now, the Tucker family is turning to the federal courts.
A Lawsuit That Demands Change
The civil complaint alleges a long pattern of excessive force, inadequate training, and a culture within the Akron Police Department that “treats young Black boys as threats first and children second.” The family says officers violated Tucker’s constitutional rights by escalating the encounter, using excessive deadly force, and failing to render medical aid in a timely manner.
Attorneys for the family say their action seeks not only financial damages, but also injunctive relief—court-ordered reforms that would reshape how Akron police interact with youth, how they train for de-escalation, and how officers are held accountable when policy is ignored.
“This lawsuit is about more than Jazmir,” one attorney told the Call & Post. “It is about every Black child in Akron who deserves to live long enough to grow up.”
A City Under Scrutiny
Since the grand jury decision, Akron’s independent police auditor has announced his own internal review, warning it could take a year or longer because of the city’s slow release of unredacted files. Public trust remains fragile after previous high-profile police shootings, including the death of Jayland Walker.
Community leaders have been emphatic: they will not allow this tragedy to quietly fade.
Churches, neighborhood coalitions, youth groups, and civil rights organizations have rallied around the Tucker family—calling for transparency, accountability, and a full re-examination of how policing is carried out in Akron’s Black neighborhoods.
A Young Life Remembered
To his family, Jazmir Tucker was not a statistic. He was a kid who loved to laugh, joke with friends, and look out for his siblings. His death has left an empty seat at the dinner table and an open wound in a community demanding justice.
The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in that fight—a fight the Call & Post has chronicled for generations as part of its civil rights mission.
As this case moves forward, the Call & Post will continue to report boldly, consistently, and without compromise, ensuring that the voices of the Tucker family and the people of Akron are heard.
