A 34-year-old Akron man wanted on multiple felony warrants died after allegedly pulling a handgun and firing a round that struck him in the head during an encounter with members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force inside a locked bedroom on Brown Street last Thursday morning, in a case tangled up with months of alleged harassment against the arresting officer’s family. Johnathan Moore was pronounced dead at Summa Health Akron City Hospital after an Akron police detective returned fire, striking him in the chest during the chaotic encounter just after 8:30 a.m.
Task force members with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force had gone to the home in the 500 block of Brown Street near Tyner Street, in Akron’s University Park neighborhood, to serve a felony vandalism warrant, according to News 5 Cleveland. Officers found Moore inside a locked bedroom, where the station reports he allegedly pulled a gun as officers entered and refused to drop it despite being tased.
Moore fired one round that struck him in the head, the outlet reports, while an Akron detective fired at least one round that struck Moore in the chest. The detective, who has served eight years on the police force, was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting — standard protocol after an officer-involved shooting. Officers rendered aid to Moore before he was taken to Summa Health, where he was pronounced dead, according to WKYC.
Months of Alleged Harassment Preceded the Fatal Encounter
The case traces back to 2024, when the detective arrested a man on a rape charge that the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office later dropped due to lack of cooperation from the victim, per the station’s report. Afterward, the suspect allegedly attacked the arresting officer’s home, smashing windows and leaving blood behind. Investigators collected that blood, and DNA testing matched it to Moore, the outlet reports.““ Moore also allegedly called the Akron Police Department repeatedly, harassing detectives and demanding that police arrest the woman who had accused him…