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    Statement on Akron police shooting from Okolo Law Firm

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    Statement on Akron police shooting from Okolo Law Firm

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    Statement on Akron police shooting from Okolo Law Firm

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    Statement On Akron Police Shooting From Okolo Law Firm

    Uploaded by

    WKYC.com
    Statement on Akron police shooting from Okolo Law Firm

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    The Okolo Law Firm, LLC has been retained to represent Tavion Koonce-Williams, a 15-year-old child who was

    brutally shot by a member of the Akron Police Department while he was unarmed with his hands up in the air, doing
    everything he possibly could have done to be safe. Tavion is an East High School student with a promising future and
    is now grappling with the trauma of being profiled and having his life flash before his eyes after being shot. Tavion
    was shot on the inside of his wrist which clearly indicates his hands were up when he was shot. The video released
    today by the City of Akron speaks for itself. 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 Koonce and Williams family are heartbroken and seek justice and accountability for lack of humanity that was
    shown to Tavion on April 1, 2024. How is it that a 15-year-old child could be gunned down just a block from his
    grandmother’s home while his hands were up doing exactly what the police officer asked him to do? What could
    possibly justify the inhumane treatment of a child? Black boys deserve to grow up and live without the threat of
    walking home and being shot by the police. Black boys deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity. Tavion
    deserved better—the community deserves better.

    The City of Akron and the Akron Police Department have tried to and will continue to place the blame on Tavion.
    They want you to believe it is his fault for being profiled and treated like an animal. The City of Akron is considering
    charging Tavion with a crime for simply having a toy gun. Tavion is no different than the countless youth in this city
    who carry a toy gun. Tavion is heard multiple times saying: “It’s a fake…I just wanted to be safe.” “I’m a good kid, I
    get A’s in school, I just wanted to be safe my cousin just died.” At no point was that gun pointed at anyone’s home,
    at any individual, and certainly not any member of the Akron Police Department. Ohio is an open carry state, and it is
    certainly not a crime to purchase a toy gun from a toy store. There is no justification for a child being shot with his
    hands in the air, pleading for his safety.

    Later this week, the Koonce-Williams family, The Okolo Law Firm, and community leaders and organizations will
    gather for a press conference to demand justice and accountability for Tavion and seek answers. Mayor Malik and
    Acting Chief Harding have the power to do the right thing here, to live up to their promises for safety and “systemic
    change.” They could act now and send a message to the department that Black youth in this city deserve to be treated
    with humanity, but instead, they have chosen to pass the buck and hide behind “process” designed to thwart
    accountability and ensure little political backlash. We ask that the community see this situation for what it is and
    demand immediate action. We ask that the community continue to uplift the family and join us in this fight for Tavion
    and the fight for the dignity and humanity of Black bodies in Akron. Tavion is sadly another victim of police brutality
    by the Akron Police Department. The struggle for freedom, for humanity, continues…

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