The Akron mayor says a man shot multiple times by a local officer on Nov. 11 appears to have been unarmed. Body-worn camera shows an officer arriving after 911 calls and, within about 25 seconds, firing more than a dozen rounds. The wounded man remains hospitalized and unconscious, and both the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the department's internal oversight office are investigating.
Akron Mayor: Man Shot by Officer Likely Unarmed; Multiple Investigations Underway
The Akron mayor says a man shot multiple times by a local officer on Nov. 11 appears to have been unarmed. Body-worn camera shows an officer arriving after 911 calls and, within about 25 seconds, firing more than a dozen rounds. The wounded man remains hospitalized and unconscious, and both the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the department's internal oversight office are investigating.
11:25 AM, 11/20/2025Society
Akron, Ohio — City officials say a man who was shot multiple times by an Akron police officer on Nov. 11 appears to have been unarmed, and the incident is the subject of both criminal and internal investigations.
Incident overview
Police say officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. to several 911 calls reporting a fight outside a downtown bar. A caller described a man who had been ejected from the bar standing in a parking lot and pointing what looked like a firearm toward the building. In released 911 audio the caller describes it as "like a black 9mm," adding, "He aimed it through the window and tried to shoot, and it didn't shoot."
Body-worn camera and actions at the scene
Akron police released body-worn camera footage showing an officer arrive on scene, spot the man and order him to remove his hands from his pockets. The officer warns the man: "Get on the ground or you're gonna get shot." Within roughly 25 seconds of exiting his patrol vehicle, the footage appears to show the officer firing more than a dozen rounds at the man.
Injuries and immediate aftermath
Police say the man was struck multiple times and suffered severe injuries. Officers applied first aid and handcuffed him at the scene while he repeatedly insisted he had no weapon, saying on the video, "I never had a gun, I never had a gun." Family members reported that he remains hospitalized and is unconscious.
Personnel and investigations
The officer involved has not been publicly identified. Police say he had four years of law enforcement experience overall and had been with the Akron Police Department for about one year; he has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will determine whether the suspect had a gun prior to the officer-involved shooting, but that "it is our current understanding that he did not have a gun on his person at the time he encountered our officers," despite reports from callers that he was armed. Mayor Malik added that the incident "underscores why we are undertaking a comprehensive review of APD's use-of-force policies, practices, and procedures."
Akron police also said the department's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will conduct a separate internal investigation.