Akron’s police chief says there are “lessons to be learned” following a police shooting of a man outside a bar last week, who did not appear to be armed despite witness reports of him brandishing a gun.
Akron officials released a 911 call and bodycam footage of the incident Tuesday. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, which occurred outside Karam’s Lounge in the Ellet neighborhood on Nov. 11.
The 10-minute video shows police not appearing to find a gun on the man who was shot.
“[Officers] do an incredibly difficult and complex job, where they sometimes must make split second decisions,” Police Chief Brian Harding said in a Tuesday news release. “We have high standards in the Akron Police Department and that includes a belief that there is always room for improvement; always lessons to be learned, including in this incident.”
The individual, who has not been named, is currently hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a police department spokesperson.
“It is our current understanding that he did not have a gun on his person at the time he encountered our officers, even though callers reported he was armed,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said in a Tuesday release. “I recognize how difficult and confusing this could be for many in our community, and I feel the weight of those concerns.”
Officers were called to the bar around 9 p.m. for reports of a man pointing a gun at patrons.
A panicked caller can be heard telling a 911 dispatcher that a bar patron was “acting weird” and she asked him to leave. She says he then pointed a black gun at patrons through a bar window.
Bodycam footage shows an officer get out of the police car and locate the individual outside the bar. The officer tells him to get his hands out his pockets. The man is seen showing his hands to the officer.
“Get the (expletive) on the ground right now. You’re going to get shot,” the unnamed officer can be heard saying in the video.
The man briefly reaches toward his jacket as the officer repeatedly tells him to get his hands out of his pockets.
The officer then fires shots at the man, who falls to the ground.
He can be heard moaning and saying “Oh, my god,” on the ground as the officer continues to ask him to show his hands.
About two minutes later with additional officers on scene, the officer approaches the man.
“I never had a gun,” the man can be heard saying.
He repeatedly says he can’t breathe as officers check him for a gun and render assistance.
The police department is in the process of a use-of-force policy review, which both Malik and Harding reference in their Tuesday statements.
“This incident underscores why we are undertaking a comprehensive review of APD’s use-of-force policies, practices, and procedures,” Malik said. “Even when actions may meet legal standards, we must always ask: What can we learn? What is the best way to approach challenging situations? How can we improve training, tactics and systems to help us achieve the safest possible outcomes?
“The goal of the ongoing review of our use of force policies, practices, training, and procedures is to provide us with recommendations about the best possible ways to approach dynamic and dangerous situations,” Harding said, noting that officers are in the final week of a de-escalation training. “As we continue to work on public safety in Akron, we recognize that we have a very serious responsibility to the residents we serve and to provide our officers with the resources they need.”
