Akron police officer shot and killed 54-year-old man at gas station on East Avenue

An Akron police officer shot and killed a man early Saturday morning while investigating a stolen vehicle, according to a news release from police.

The victim has only been identified as a 54-year-old man. The Summit County Medical Examiner's office has not yet released the victim's name.

According to the release, just after 1 a.m., officers were in the 2200 block of East Avenue in the parking lot of a gas station on the corner of Louisiana Avenue in Kenmore when they spotted the stolen vehicle.

Police did not say how the incident unfolded, saying only that "during the course of the incident, an officer fired two rounds with his department-issued firearm, striking the suspect." The release said a loaded firearm was recovered inside the vehicle but gave no information about whether the suspect attempted to use it.

Officers administered first aid, but he was pronounced dead on the scene a short time later.

The officer who fired the shots has been placed on paid leave, per department procedure. That officer has only been identified as a 2 1/2-year veteran of the department.

Akron Police Capt. Mike Miller said the stolen vehicle officers were investigating was a U-Haul vehicle, but it was not clear when or from where it was stolen. He said Saturday afternoon that he did not have any additional information about the shooting.

The investigation will be handled by the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigations, with the case then turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review before being submitted to the Summit County Grand Jury for evaluation.

The Office of Professional Standards and Accountability will also conduct an internal investigation to be presented to the chief of police and the city of Akron police auditor for review.

The same gas station was the site of another officer-involved shooting in 2021. In that incident, police said they saw the suspect firing a weapon at another man, who was struck twice, including once in the chest. The bullets were traveling in the direction of the officers, who chased the suspect for "a short distance on foot," police said. One of the officers returned fire, but it's believed the suspect was not hit.

Contact reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police officer shot and killed 54-year-old man at gas station on East Avenue