Release Date: October 2,2025
Mayor Malik and Chief Harding Release Joint Statement on Summit County Grand Jury Decision of No Bill
Akron, Ohio, Oct. 2, 2025 — Earlier today, a Summit County grand jury made a no bill determination regarding the fatal officer involved shooting of Jazmir Tucker which occurred on November 28, 2024. This means that the officer involved will not face criminal charges. Mayor Malik and Chief Harding have released the following statement:
“We want to again send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jazmir Tucker as they continue to mourn his loss. We want to thank the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for investigating this case and the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s office for accepting the investigation to present to a grand jury. We’d also like to thank the members of the Summit County grand jury for honorably performing their civic duty.
We want to reiterate that this investigation was handled independently from the City of Akron. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation undertook the investigation of Jazmir’s death from beginning to end. From that point, they turned the investigative materials over to another outside agency, the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office to review the evidence. The Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office then convened a special grand jury made up of Summit County residents, who were presented with the evidence accumulated from the state’s investigation. The members of that grand jury made the collective decision not to bring criminal charges in this matter.”
With this portion of the process ending, the Attorney General’s investigative file will be released to the public and will be available shortly on the Attorney General’s website here.
Now that the criminal process has concluded, the Akron Police Department will conduct a thorough internal investigation into this incident to determine if any APD policies or procedures were violated, taking into consideration the evidence gathered by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Once complete, the results of that internal investigation will be publicly available and will be shared with the city’s Independent Police Auditor for his review.
Mayor Malik and Chief Harding continued, “There will undoubtedly be many reactions to today’s news. For those who wish to speak out – your speech and advocacy are constitutionally-protected, and the City of Akron will safeguard those rights. Violence and property damage are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
To our officers, we recognize the challenges you face as you work to protect and serve our city. The call to public service is an honorable one and the calling of a police officer is especially challenging. There will continue to be difficult days ahead, but we have confidence in the men and women of the Akron Police Department to meet this moment, and we will continue to support you as you protect and serve the Akron community.
Separate and apart from the criminal and disciplinary processes, we believe that fatal encounters should be examined for lessons learned. As we have previously shared, the City of Akron is undertaking a review of our use of force policy with a nationally recognized organization, the Police Executive Research Forum. In the coming months, the PERF team will work with our community, with law enforcement and the public, to review the City of Akron’s use of force policy, practices, and procedures – to delve into community expectations, training, best practices and more. With their help, Akron will collectively seek the best outcomes possible in dangerous situations.”