The department says the officer saw the suspect with a loaded gun before firing. The suspect later died at an area hospital.
Akron police reported that the incident took place around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday when two police officers were conducting a routine patrol in an unmarked car. They spotted the man, who they believed was acting suspiciously, and approached him to investigate. It was then that they saw he was carrying a loaded gun.
According to a release from the department, the incident occurred near the intersection of East Avenue and Vernon Odom Boulevard, where the two officers were working on a separate case. Just after 11 p.m., the officers reported hearing gunshots nearby and left their police cruiser to investigate. It was then that they saw a man with what they claim was a loaded weapon.
One of the officers then fired his own gun and hit the suspect. The man was eventually taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Per officials, the officer who fired his weapon has been with the Akron Police Department for almost five years. His partner, who has been on the force for less than a year, did not fire his gun. In accordance with protocol, both have been placed on paid administrative leave.
The names of neither the officers nor the deceased suspect have been released at this time. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been called in to conduct a review of the incident, while the police department’s Office of Professional Standards will handle its own internal probe.
