Teen shot by Ohio police officer facing charge for carrying fake gun
A 15-year-old Ohio boy shot by an Akron police officer earlier this month is now facing a charge.
Tavion Koonce-Williams has been charged with one count of carrying a fake firearm, Akron Police Department Captain Michael Miller confirmed to WOIO in Cleveland. The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.
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Koonce-Williams was shot in the wrist by Officer Ryan Westlake on April 1 after a woman called the authorities about a teenager allegedly walking around and pointing a gun at houses.
The teen then told officers at the scene that the gun was fake. He was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, WKYC reported.
After the shooting, police announced that the guy the teen allegedly had was a “facsimile.” The Akron city law makes it a crime to draw a replica firearm in a threatening or angry manner.
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The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident. Once completed, the case will be turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review before being submitted to a Summit County grand jury for review.
Westlake has been placed on paid administrative leave, per departmental protocol.
