CLEVELAND, Ohio – An Akron officer shot a 15-year-old boy soon after he pulled up and saw the youth with what appeared to be a gun in his hand, according to video released Monday of the April 1 incident.
Akron officials released the officer’s body-worn camera footage involving the shooting on the city’s East Side. The city also released the officer’s personnel file. The video and records can be viewed here.
It shows that Ryan Westlake, a nine-year veteran, had been fired from the city in 2021 for several issues, but he was rehired in an agreement with the city and the police union.
“In an effort to be as transparent as possible, we are releasing both the body camera footage showing the officer’s entire interaction with the adolescent who was shot, and the officer’s personnel file,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said in a statement. “We will continue to be transparent and communicative as the process unfolds.”
Imokhai Okolo, an attorney representing the family of Tavion Koonce-Williams, ripped Akron police for the shooting.
“The video released today by the city of Akron speaks for itself,” Okolo said in a statement. “Tavion now finds himself in the lineage of Black youth being profiled and shot by the Akron Police Department with absolutely no justification or regard for human life.”
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com does not usually identify youths who are injured in such incidents, but the boy’s family and attorney granted permission.
The incident began at 7:04 p.m. April 1 when a woman called police while walking her dog near Newton Street and Tonawanda Avenue to report that a Black person was pointing a gun at houses.
“He pulled it out and acted like he was going to shoot their houses,” the caller told police.
Minutes later, Westlake, 33, responded to the call and found Tavion who matched the caller’s description, walking on Brittain Road and Ottawa Avenue.
Body-worn video shows Westlake stopped his vehicle, opened the door to his cruiser and fired his weapon once within seconds of arriving.
“Hey, where are you coming from? Can I see your hands real quick?” Westlake shouted and then shot the teenager in the right hand.
“Oh s--t, s--t,” the officer said.
Afterward, Westlake pointed his weapon at Tavion, who repeatedly yelled that he had a toy gun.
“It’s fake, it’s fake, I promise,” the boy yelled.
As other officers responded, Westlake ordered the teenager to drop to the ground and then placed him in handcuffs.
He then started providing medical care to Tavion.
“I’m a good kid, bro. I get A’s in school and play football,” the youth told the officer, as the boy started sobbing.
Tavion said he was coming back from his cousin’s funeral and his grandmother lived down the street. He was taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries.
Westlake was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by city and state officials.
His personnel file shows that he was fired from the department three years ago.
On March 14, 2021, Westlake and another officer stopped a vehicle in the 700 block of Longview Avenue to search the occupants. He used derogatory language, including a homophobic slur, that violated department policy.
Westlake was also disciplined for “an off-duty incident while extremely intoxicated” that happened in January 2021 and another Dec. 4, 2020, while he was in Florida.
He admitted to brandishing his firearm while drunk and “muzzled” his firearm toward his girlfriend.
Westlake returned from 99 days of unpaid leave on Oct. 28, 2021, for the incidents.
Less than a month after returning to work, on Nov. 23., he was suspended for two days without pay for hitting a suspect’s car with his patrol car during a vehicle pursuit and not reporting it in a timely manner.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is examining the shooting. Its results will be turned over to prosecutors, who could present the case to a Summit County grand jury. Police officials are investigating whether policies and procedures were followed.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to Akron Fraternal Order of Police for comment.
In many ways, the case is similar to the shooting of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old Cleveland boy who authorities say was playing with a black toy pistol at the Cudell Park Recreation Center on Nov. 22, 2014. Federal authorities said the toy resembled a semiautomatic pistol. Tamir would periodically point the toy gun at people and at the adjoining playground.
A resident called 911 and reported the boy pointing what appeared to be a gun at people. A Cleveland police officer, Timothy Loehmann, shot the youth, killing him. Loehmann and his partner, Frank Garmback, were never charged in the incident. Cleveland agreed to pay the boy’s family $6 million.
Okolo, the attorney for Tavion’s family, said he is demanding answers from Akron police.
“Black boys deserve to grow up and live without the threat of walking home and being shot by police,” Okolo said in the statement. “Black boys deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity. Tavion deserved better -- the community deserved better.”