By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Akron, Ohio, officials fired Officer Davon Fields on Friday over policy violations connected to the November 2024 fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker.
- The city separately agreed to pay $4.75 million to Tucker’s family to settle a lawsuit; the settlement still requires a judge’s approval.
- Mayor Shammas Malik said Fields was terminated for multiple violations, including failing to render medical aid and violating body-worn camera policy, along with a separate criminal allegation against him.
- A grand jury declined to indict the officer roughly a year ago.
- The local Fraternal Order of Police called the firing unjust and said it plans to contest it.
AKRON, Ohio — Akron officials fired a police officer Friday over policy violations connected to the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in November 2024, the same day the city announced it will pay $4.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the teen’s family.
Police said Jazmir Tucker was carrying a loaded weapon when two officers who had heard gunshots spotted and pursued him; one of the officers, Davon Fields, fired multiple times. A grand jury declined to indict Fields nearly a year after the shooting.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said Fields was fired for multiple policy violations, including failing to properly render medical aid to Tucker and violating the department’s body-worn camera policy. Malik also cited a separate criminal allegation involving Fields as a factor in the decision. “The loss of life and the circumstances in this case were absolutely tragic, with enormous human and financial costs,” Malik said in a statement, adding that the city has a responsibility to make policy changes to reduce the likelihood of similar cases.
Body camera footage from the shooting showed Fields’ arms and long gun obscuring his camera’s view of Tucker in the moments before he was shot. Footage from another officer’s camera showed police unzipping the jacket pocket of the wounded teen and removing a handgun. Malik said in the weeks after the shooting that the video raised questions, including why officers did not immediately activate their cameras and why it took so long to provide first aid.
Brian Lucey, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, called the firing unjust and said the union plans to contest it, characterizing Fields as a “political scapegoat.”
The $4.75 million settlement still requires approval from a judge before it is finalized.