What worn-body camera footage shows in Akron police shooting of teen with fake gun
One week after an Akron police officer fired a single shot and struck a 15-year-old boy in the hand, the city of Akron and Akron Police Department released body-worn camera footage and a call from the incident.
Footage shows − from the officer's perspective − the moment he shot the teen who allegedly pointed a gun that turned out to be fake at Goodyear Heights homes.
The officer involved in the shooting was Ryan Westlake, a nine-year veteran of the police department whose personnel file also was released Monday.
Attorney Imokhai Okolo is representing the teen, who is Tavion Koonce-Williams, an East High School student.
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What led to the shooting?
Akron police received a 911 call at about 7 p.m. April 1 from a woman walking her dog near Tonawanda Avenue and Newton Street. She reported a male who pulled out a gun and pointed it at houses.
Moments later, at about 7:11 p.m., Westlake pulled up alongside a home on Brittain Road near Ottawa Avenue and opened the driver-side door before questioning Tavion.
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"Where you coming from? Can I see your hands really quick?" Westlake asked.
In the second after asking to see the teen's hands, Westlake grabbed his police-issued firearm and fired a single shot, striking Tavion's right hand. The fake gun was seen on the devil strip as the officer exited the vehicle.
"Oh s***," Westlake said immediately after shooting his gun. "Shots fired. Shots fired."
What happened after the shooting?
Tavion then threw his hands in the air, yelling that the gun was a fake, as Westlake continued pointing his service weapon at the boy while approaching him. The teen's right hand, which was shot, was partially closed.
"Drop to the ground," Westlake said. "Hands behind your back."
Laying on his stomach, Tavion was handcuffed by Westlake as other officers ran to the teen's side. Seconds later, Westlake is seen and heard removing the handcuffs, cutting the teen's shirt to provide first aid and calling for a tourniquet.
As officers provided first aid, the Tavion reiterated that the gun was fake.
"I was scared," he told officers. "I'm just coming from home. I came from my cousin's funeral and everything."
Tavion was taken to a local hospital for what police said were non-life-threatening injuries. His face was blurred in the video to protect his privacy, according to the Akron Police Department.
The video ends at 7:15 p.m., four minutes after it began, with the officer walking toward a cruiser.
Neighbors said they saw the teen walk to an ambulance.
Investigation into the incident
The gun was turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), which is doing an independent investigation before turning it over to the Ohio Attorney General's Office for review.
The case will then be submitted to a Summit County grand jury to determine if charges are warranted.
The Akron Police Department's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability also will conduct its own investigation.
Once that internal investigation concludes, the Akron Citizens' Police Oversight Board will begin its review led by Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell, said Kemp Boyd, chair of the board.
Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Worn-body camera footage shows moment Akron police shoot teen
