Most residents at Wednesday’s meeting wanted the officer involved in Tucker’s death fired, but the oversight board doesn’t have that power.
AKRON, Ohio — Wednesday night marked the first meeting of Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board since an officer shot and killed 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker.
The board’s job is to oversee the Akron Police Department’s use of force policies, and was established in the wake of the 2022 police shooting death of Jayland Walker. At the meeting, members of the public shared what changes they would like to see from city law enforcement.
“We’ve never had times like this. This is unprecedented,” Fela Sutton told those gathered. “(These) last three here have been a terror on the community.”
The oversight board meeting came just days after a fiery Akron City Council meeting that saw lawmakers eventually delay a vote on a proposed external audit of the police force. That room reached capacity quickly, which limited the time residents were allowed to speak, so the oversight board on Wednesday permitted public commenters to speak for five minutes each instead of the usual three.
“Show us that justice is more than a word, that accountability is more than an idea, and that change is truly possible,” Akron resident William Reynolds said.
It’s been nearly a month since Tucker’s death on Thanksgiving night. Police say the teen had a gun the night he was killed, and claim bullet shell casings found in the area match the ones from his firearm. 3News Investigates also discovered the officer who shot Tucker also killed a suspect in the line of duty back in 2022.
All of this is sparking frustration from residents.
“We deserve a police force that serves and protects, not one that terrorizes our community,” Tara Gibson stated.
Most residents at Wednesday’s meeting want the officer involved in Tucker’s death fired, but the oversight board doesn’t have that power. It can only make recommendations to the city and the police department.
However, members of the board are hoping that changes.
“We can’t be a thing where we’re writing recommendations and it’s just kind of being like, ‘OK, thank you for them. We looked at it, but hey, here’s our stance,'” Board Chair Kemp Boyd told 3News in an interview. “Let’s do a deeper dive.”
