AKRON, Ohio — One week after a 15-year-old was shot by an Akron police officer, the city has released body camera footage of the incident and the officer's personnel file.
“In an effort to be as transparent as possible, we are releasing both the body camera footage showing the officer’s entire interaction with the adolescent who was shot, and the officer’s personnel file,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik in a statement. “We will continue to be transparent and communicative as the process unfolds.”
According to a release from the Akron Police Department, the incident on April 1 occurred in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood, with a woman calling authorities and claiming the teen was pointing a gun at homes near the intersection of Tonawanda Avenue and Newton Street.
Police officials say the officer located the suspect several blocks away in the area of Brittain Road and Ottawa Avenue, firing a single bullet that struck the boy outside of a home.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will handle the inquiry of the matter, with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and a Summit County grand jury eventually tasked with the final review. Akron's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will also conduct its own investigation.
Following the shooting, Akron police announced that the gun the teen had allegedly been carrying was a "facsimile." The fake gun photographed and turned over to the Ohio BCI.
What the video shows
Police say the first call about the teen suspect came in at 7:04 p.m. "He pulled it (the gun) out and acted like he was going to shoot their houses," a woman told a 911 dispatcher.
The officer spotted the person matching the caller's description walking on Brittain Road near the corner of Ottawa Avenue. The officer can be heard asking the teen where he was coming from and ordering him to show his hands.
As he was set to exit his car, the officer fired one shot at the teen, striking him in the hand.
"Shots fired, shots fired," the officer can be heard saying. "It's fake. It's fake, It's fake," the suspect screams several times in response. The officer orders the teen to get on the ground.
Editor's Note: The below body camera video features graphic scenes and language. Viewer discretion is advised.
The officer initially puts handcuffs on the suspect, but as he bleeds from his gunshot wound, the cuffs are removed from the teen.
"It's a fake gun, I promise," the suspect tells the gathering of officers now at the scene. "I came from my cousin's funeral.
The teen was taken to an area hospital for treatment of his non-life-threatening injury.
What the officer's records show
The city of Akron provided several documents about the officer who shot the teen suspect. He has been identified as Ryan Westlake. Officer Westlake is 33-years-old and went to the Kent State University Police Academy.
"The officer’s file includes a number of disciplinary actions and use of force incidents, one of which has been deemed unreasonable," Malik's office stated in its release.
In May 2021, Westlake was suspended for 71 days total for multiple incidents that occurred that year, including use of profanity and an anti-gay slur, brandishing his firearm towards his girlfriend while intoxicated, plus involvement in off-duty incidents in Ohio and Florida while being "extremely intoxicated" with "behaviors and actions that discredited the police department."
Westlake appealed the suspension, but was fired by then-Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan in July 2021. He was reinstated the day after being fired after agreeing to serve the suspension.
Teen's family responds
Following the release of the body camera footage, the Okolo Law Firm, LLC announced in an email that it has been retained to represent Tavion Koonce-Williams, the teen who was shot by Officer Westlake.
"The Koonce and Williams family are heartbroken and seek justice and accountability for lack of humanity that was shown to Tavion on April 1, 2024. How is it that a 15-year-old child could be gunned down just a block from his grandmother’s home while his hands were up doing exactly what the police officer asked him to do? What could possibly justify the inhumane treatment of a child? Black boys deserve to grow up and live without the threat of walking home and being shot by the police. Black boys deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity. Tavion deserved better—the community deserves better," attorney Imokhai Okolo wrote in a statement.
You can read the entire statement below
More reaction
On Tuesday, Akron community activist group The Freedom BLOC told 3News they've spoken with the 15-year-old involved.
"I talked to him and his family," Executive Director Ray Greene Jr. said. "They have no understanding of how this can happen. This is a kid, this is a child. You can look at this child and see he's a child who has a bright future. We're not going to let this deter his future, but this is something that can really tear somebody up from the inside out. This young man continues to have nightmares now to this day. It’s going to take extensive love and care to heal this young man."
Greene is demanding Westlake is fired.
"There's no reason for this officer to even be on the force, so let's just do the right thing and fire this officer," he declared. "This officer needs to be terminated immediately. Those are our immediate next steps. It's taking care of the family and demanding that this officer is terminated.”
The city of Akron's Citizens' Police Oversight Board is also reacting, with Chair Kemp Boyd calls the entire situation "disappointing."
"We are definitely deeply saddened about the recent shooting involving the 15-year-old male," Boyd said. "While we are relieved to know that his injuries are not life-threatening, a family from our community and the neighborhood where this happened are dealing with the trauma of having this occur, where they live and where their children play. And also, an Akron police officer is also dealing with the traumatic impact of having to use deadly force in that encounter. So, for that, our hearts go out to our community as a whole."
Kemp is awaiting analysis from the newly hired Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell, who officially started his role a week before the shooting. WKYC spoke with Finnell on Tuesday, as well, and he confirmed he will begin his independent investigation after BCI and Akron PD conclude their own inquiries. Those findings and opinions will then be shared with the Citizens' Police Oversight Board, which could make a recommendation to the mayor based on his findings.
"For this process to work, I really need to remain objective, remain impartial, and then wait until all of the investigations have been done and then look at all of the evidence and make a determination from there," he shared.
Finnell calls the case "alarming."
"It's concerning to me on a number of levels, one being obviously as a father of a young male, Black male, it’s concerning that we have a young 15-year-old that got shot in the streets," he explained. "And then we also have an officer that used deadly force, and so those are concerning because everybody wants to feel safe in their community and police are part of the community, so they want to feel safe."
When asked about the status of Westlake on Tuesday, an Akron police spokesperson responded, "The incident remains under investigation and in the hands of BCI. Additional updates or comments will not be provided at this time, but they may be provided when appropriate."
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