Welcome back to the Akron Podcast, where we tackle the tough stories affecting our community. Today is April 11th, 2024, and we have a difficult topic. This isn't an April Fool's Day prank—it's a serious incident involving Tavion Koonce-Williams, a 15-year-old East High School student whom an Akron police officer shot under contentious circumstances.

Reports indicate that Williams was carrying what appeared to be a gun—but was later revealed to be a toy—as he was walking home. A concerned citizen's call to the police led to a confrontation that ended with Williams being shot in the hand by Officer Ryan Westlake, a cop with a checkered past, including being previously fired and reinstated.

The bodycam footage is out for public scrutiny and raises alarming concerns. Why do our teens feel the need to carry fake guns for protection? And why was Officer Westlake, with a history of unprofessional conduct, allowed back on the force, only to be involved in another controversial shooting? We'll delve into Westlake's disciplinary record, examine the city's handling of the case, and look at how this repeats patterns we've seen in previous incidents.

It's a tragic story with far-reaching implications, and it leaves us asking hard questions about police accountability, community safety, and the deep-seated issues that lead to such incidents. Join us as we explore this crucial matter on the Akron Podcast.

Sources:

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2024/04/08/akron-police-officer-who-shot-teen-was-fired-reinstated-in-2021/73242042007/

Mentioned in this episode:

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Akron police and EMS were dispatched to the scene at about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday. They found the victim, an employee at the store, with an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at 11:38 p.m.

The shooting occurred after a man approached the drive-thru window on foot seeking to buy black and mild cigars, Akron police Capt. Michael Miller said.

He handed the clerk some cash that was in poor condition, possibly with soil or blood, Miller said. A dispute quickly broke out over the condition of the money. The suspect then pulled out a long-barreled rifle. That's when the clerk returned the cigar to the suspect and asked him to leave with it.

Before fleeing on foot, the suspect fired at least two shots through the window at the group of employees inside the drive-thru, striking the 21-year-old at least once. Shattered glass may have injured others standing nearby, Miller said.

See the Akron Shootings app to see other murders in our city

https://www.mapcustomizer.com/map/Akron-Killings

The National Park Service plans to close a large section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to visitors.

A 1.5-mile section of the popular trail just north of the Station Road Bridge Trailhead in Brecksville will close on weekdays beginning Dec. 18 through May 3.

Park officials say the closure is needed while crews continue to work on stabilizing the river bank inside of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The trail will be open to visitors on weekends.

This is part of a two-phase project with work shifting to south of Station Road at a later date.

The construction is part of a $14 million effort to stabilize the trail and tracks for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad along the Cuyahoga River.

Businesses in the area affected by the road closure are open & still accessible, including the Peanut Shoppe of Akron (Hours until Dec. 24th: Monday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday 10 am - 4 pm, & Sunday 1 pm - 4 pm.), ChillandIndulge (see the 2nd picture for some of their holiday offerings), Crave, Unknwn, and others.

Don't forget: The Peanut Shoppe has seasonal round tins & boxes for gift-giving, & will also take your order by phone & ship it to anywhere in the U.S. of A. 330-376-7020)

Okay, now the road closure information

The affected area is S. Main St., between Church St. and University Ave.

WHEN:

This stretch of road will be closed on Monday, December 11 through Friday, December 22

WHY:

The closure is for Emergency Sewer Repair.

On Monday, December 11, Kenmore Construction Co. and the City of Akron plan to close S. Main St. to all traffic between Church St. and University Avenue as they begin emergency sewer repair work.

STILL OPEN:

Businesses in the road closure area will still be open and accessible. Park on Church St., University, or in the Summit County or State St. parking decks.

DETOURS:

Southbound traffic will be detoured using E. Bowery St., S. High St., and University Ave.

Northbound traffic will be detoured using University Ave., S. Broadway, and E. Bowery St.

This work is expected to be completed by Friday, December 22.

See the attached image for a map of the detours. For all downtown traffic advisories, visit https://bit.ly/TrafficAdvisoriesDowntownAkron

Christmas chimes won’t be playing at...

Akron City Council has implemented new rules, effective January 3, 2024, to restrict public comment during meetings. In an 8-5 vote, the council decided to move the meeting start time to 6:30 p.m. and shift the public comment period to the beginning. However, the most significant change is limiting public comment to 10 speakers per meeting, with individuals allowed to speak only once every 30 days. Residents must fill out an online form by 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting to request to speak, potentially concluding public comment within 30 minutes.

Previously, there were no restrictions on the number of speakers or their frequency, only requiring advance sign-up. The recent weeks had seen over two dozen speakers at council meetings, prompting the new limitations. The council also implemented a ban on backpacks, bags larger than 12” X 6” X 12”, banners, flags, posters, signs, and “noisemakers of any kind.” While some view the move positively for promoting efficiency, others criticize it as limiting citizen participation, with activist Fran Wilson describing it as "fascist."

Council President Margo Sommerville, who proposed the legislation to enhance meeting efficiency and professionalism, stated that the changes address decorum issues and do not intend to limit community perspectives. The decision reflects an effort to balance the need for orderly proceedings with citizens' right to express concerns.

Police were called for disorderly teens. So if you don't want to get punched in the face, behave. This happened at 1200 block of Lawton Street.

With that said, Terrelle Harris-Malone was doing what he was told. He was walking away. Video shows he had his hands up as multiple policemen tackled him to the ground, jam his face into the ground, punched him and in general took it to far. In one shot you see him with his one remaining arm still up, not resisting.

19 News obtained Akron Police bodycam of this incident.

The video shows the 19-year-old suspect leaving the scene and encouraging the rest of the group to also leave.

The video does not specifically show the 19-year-old hitting an officer’s arm.

The suspect has his hands in the air and does not appear to be resisting the arrest in the video.

So that task force we created to review the police? This is what you were made for and you need to do something.

Harris-Malone was arrested earlier this year on October 27 and now faces charges of riot, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, and criminal trespass.

Harris-Malone is set to go to trial on February 6.

His lawyer says they plan to file a civil suit against the Akron officers involved.

Three other teens were arrested during the incident.

Akron Police are now investigating the use of force during the incident.

The Akron Police Department has quietly updated its internal policies about police shootings and now lists the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation as the default “preferred agency,” instead of its own detectives, to investigate after APD officers kill or seriously injure someone.

While the APD has regularly called on the BCI’s Crime Scene Unit to process scenes of police shootings, Chief Steve Mylett caught the ire of the police union in 2022 when he asked the state agency to conduct the entire investigation into Jayland Walker’s killing. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 filed a grievance that alleged bringing in an outside agency...