AKRON, Ohio — The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday released the autopsy results for Jazmir Tucker, a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Akron police on Thanksgiving night in 2024.

What You Need To Know

  • Tucker was shot three times, twice in the back and once in the arm

  • Two of the bullets injured his heart, lung, small intestive and abdominal wall

  • The medical examiner said he wasn't tested for gun residue, as that policy was eliminated in 2016

The results show Tucker was shot a total of three times — once in the right arm and twice in the back. One of the bullets entered his mid-left back and ended up damaging his heart and lungs, according to the results. During a press conference Wednesday, Dr. Lisa Kohler of the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office, said more rapid aid wouldn't have "aided in the course of events."

Another bullet hit just to the right of his spine, inured the small intenstine and the abdominal wall. Results show the wound was associated with bleeding into his abdomen, as well as lacerations to the small intestine. 

The report states Tucker had no other significant traumatic injuries or natural medical diseases, and that the manner of his death was ruled as a homicide, caused by gunshot wounds. 

Kohler also explained in the report that Tucker wasn't tested for gunshot residue, saying that testing for gunpowder residue was discontinued in 2016 because it's "unreliable and does not necessarily indicate that someone fired a weapon."

In response to the autopsy results, the Tucker family's attorneys released the following statement:

"The tragic death of Jazmir Tucker was made even more difficult for his family today with the revelation that he was struck in the back by two bullets from an officer with the Akron Police Dept. Jazmir's family is devastated knowing that it now appears he wasn't even looking in the officer's direction when he was shot and killed. The Cochran Firm will continue its own independent investigation into this senseless shooting and won't rest until we get answers for this family. While Jazmir's family is deeply saddened to know that nothing can bring him back, they are heartened by the outpouring of support and prayers being shown by the community. They do not want another family to go through such a horrific tragedy and encourage the city of Akron to take every measure possible to protect citizens and properly train its officers."

Officer Davon Fields is currently placed on administrative leave due to the shooting. On Thanksgiving night, Fields and another officer previously said they were sitting in their police cruiser when they heard shots around 11 p.m. They went to go investigate the noise at Vernon Odom Boulevard and East Avenue, where they ran into Tucker. 

Officers chased Tucker, body camera footage showed. Fields fired his weapon, and the officers waited around seven minutes before making physical contact with Tucker, according to the police department. 

The video released by police lacks some of the details that often factor into police shooting investigations. The shooting officer's arms and long gun block his camera's view, obscuring whatever Tucker was doing in the moments before the shooting. Another officer's camera, however, recorded police unzipping the jacket pocket of the mortally wounded teenager and pulling out a handgun.

The investigation is ongoing.

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