AKRON, OH Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced on Wednesday that a grand jury in Summit County had decided not to indict the officer who shot and killed a man at a petrol station.
On August 17, 2024, Michael Jones, 54, was shot by Akron officer Michael Novak. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office brought the case before the grand jury.
As they mourn Mr. Jones’s passing, I would want to once more offer my sincerest sympathies to his family and friends. Malik stated, “I want to acknowledge that there are loved ones in our community who are struggling with a tragedy.”
According to Malik, an internal inquiry will be carried out by Akron police officers to ascertain whether any policies were broken.
Any death is heartbreaking, but at the end of their shift, all of our officers deserve to return home to their families, according to Brian Lucey, president of the Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, which represents officers.
Although Novak’s name was not disclosed by the authorities, it was earlier claimed by Ideastream Public Media that Novak had shot Jones. State records show that Novak was hired by Akron police in September 2022.
The incident took place on the 2200 block of East Avenue, in the parking lot of a petrol station, at around one in the morning.
Officers approached Jones, who was seated in a reported stolen U-Haul, as captured on body camera footage.
When the officers told Jones to get out of the car, he asked, “For what?”
In an attempt to arrest Jones, one of the policemen pressed into the U-Haul. Body camera and security footage showed officers battling Jones for control of the steering wheel as the U-Haul sped away, looping into the street and in front of the gas station.
After Novak fired two rounds, the officers took Jones out of the truck, detained him, and administered medical attention. In the U-Haul, officers discovered a loaded revolver.
