Exactly two years after Michael Jones was killed by an Akron Police officer at an East Avenue gas station, the family of the 54-year-old man filed a $4.5 million lawsuit in federal court.
The suit alleges that the officers used excessive force, that their supervisors are also liable for endorsing the conditions that led to the killing, and that the city is liable for “shielding officers from consequences” and for “fostering racist and violent ideas,” among other accusations.
On Aug. 17, 2024, Jones was killed by Akron Police Officer Michael Novak who, alongside his partner, Officer Nakoa Anderson, pulled up next to a gas pump behind a U-Haul truck driven by Jones.
The truck had been reported as unreturned by an employee at the rental company 13 hours earlier. Novak shot Jones, who appeared confused about what was happening as the truck started slowly rolling forward and turned onto the street in front of the gas station while officers tried to pull him from the truck…