Police in Akron, Ohio, launched video of an officer shooting a 15-year-old boy who was once preserving what his circle of relatives says was once a toy gun, video that displays the teenager was once struck seconds after the officer ordered his arms up ultimate week.
Tavion Koonce-Williams was once shot within the wrist on April 1 in Akron, Ohio, via Officer Ryan Westlake, a nine-year branch veteran, who was once responding to a choice about an individual pointing a gun at properties. Akron police stated after the shooting that the gun the teenager had been sporting was once a “facsimile.”
On Monday, the city of Akron launched Westlake’s report, unveiling a historical past of disciplinary movements and use of power incidents, because the police branch launched the pictures of the interplay “in an effort to be as transparent as possible.”
The shooting
On April 1, in a while after 7 p.m., a lady known as police claiming she noticed a Black male “pull out a gun” and get started pointing it at properties within the space of Tonawanda Avenue and Newton Street, Akron Police stated in a news release that very same day.
Westlake was once the responding officer. He discovered the individual, later known via his circle of relatives as Tavion, a number of blocks away within the space of Brittain Road and Ottawa Avenue and fired a unmarried bullet that struck the teenager. He was once taken to a health center with a non-life-threatening damage, police stated in its preliminary release.
Police stated following the incident they recovered what gave the look to be “a facsimile firearm that the teen allegedly had in his possession in the moments leading up to the shooting.”
Attorney Imokhai Okolo, who was once retained via Tavion’s circle of relatives, stated in a commentary Monday that Tavion had a toy gun.
“Tavion is heard multiple times saying: ‘It’s a fake…I just wanted to be safe,’” the lawyer stated in a statement Monday, including that “at no point was that toy gun pointed at anyone’s home, at any individual, and certainly not any member of the Akron Police Department.”
The video
In the pictures, Westlake is noticed at 7:11 p.m. in his patrol car slowing down upon seeing Tavion strolling on a block.
“Hey, where are you coming from, can I see your hands real quick?” Westlake requested throughout the open window as he started to go out the car.
Westlake then reached towards his department-issued weapon, pointed it at Tavion and a shot was once fired seconds later.
At the similar time, the officer is heard exclaiming “Oh s—!” upon listening to the release — nonetheless at 7:11 p.m.
“Shots fired! Shots fired!” Westlake stated as he exited the car. Tavion screamed “It’s fake! It’s fake!” together with his arms raised.
Westlake ordered him to drop at the flooring and Tavion, visibly in misery, right away complied and repeated, “It’s fake, I promise you, look it’s a fake gun!”
Westlake informed him to place his arms at the back of his again, Tavion complied and blood was once visual on his proper wrist.
“My hand hurts. Mister, I wanted to be safe!” Tavion is heard exclaiming.
“Let’s get a medical team, f— man,” Westlake stated as different officials arrived to the scene. He is noticed within the video making an attempt to place handcuffs on Tavion, then putting off them from the bloody wrist and calling for a tourniquet.
Another officer carried out the tourniquet and requested Tavion if he was once hit anyplace else.
“It’s my hand. Please officer, I’m a good kid. Bro, I get A’s in school, I play football, I just wanted to be safe, my cousin just died,” he stated, crying out in ache, explaining within the video that he had come from his cousin’s funeral.
The complete interplay lasted 4 mins.
The video then confirmed stills with a circle round what gave the look to be the toy gun in Tavion’s hand at first of the clip. Another nonetheless confirmed the gun at the grass close to the patrol car and Tavion a number of toes away together with his arms raised.
The officer
Westlake was once known via the town because the officer concerned on Monday. He was once put on paid administrative go away in keeping with branch process.
Westlake, 33, was once employed in June 2014 and was once a graduate of 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,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s workplace stated in a release.
The information display that during May 2021, he was once suspended for 71 days because of a couple of incidents that very same 12 months, together with use of profanity, the use of an anti-gay slur, brandishing his firearm against his female friend whilst intoxicated, and rancid responsibility “extremely intoxicated” incidents in Ohio and Florida by which he exhibited behaviors and movements “that discredited the police department.”
Westlake had appealed the executive’s advice to droop him, and then-Mayor Daniel Horrigan terminated his employment on July 20, 2021.
The following day, Westlake’s termination was once rescinded and he was once reinstated after he, the town of Akron and the native police union agreed to the suspension.
He was once additionally suspended for 2 days with out pay in June 2022 for a use of power incident on Nov. 23, 2021, not up to a month after he returned to paintings from his ultimate suspension. In that case, he hit a suspect’s automotive all the way through a car pursuit and did not file it in a well timed model.
NBC News has reached out to the native police union for touch upon ultimate week’s shooting. Westlake may just now not be right away reached for remark.
‘Black boys deserve to grow up and live’
“The Koonce and Williams family are heartbroken and seek justice and accountability for lack of humanity that was shown to Tavion,” Okolo stated in a commentary Monday.
“Tavion now finds himself in the lineage of Black youth being profiled and shot by the Akron Police Departmentalize Department with absolutely no justification or regard for human life,” he added.
Okolo stressed out that Tavion obeyed all of the officer’s instructions, but was once nonetheless shot.
“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? … Black boys deserve to grow up and live without the threat of walking home and being shot by the police officer,” he stated.
The circle of relatives and lawyer will hang a press convention later this week “to demand justice and accountability for Tavion and seek answers.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is carrying out an impartial investigation into the use of power incident, and their findings shall be became over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for evaluation, who will then provide the information to a Summit County Grand Jury.
Upon the finishing touch of the BCI probe, a separate interior investigation shall be completed via the Akron Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards and Accountability that shall be shared with the executive and Independent Police Auditor for his or her evaluation.