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Stephonne Jackson

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/29/2023

Location : Kelly Avenue and 3rd Avenue

City : Akron

County : Summit

State : Ohio

Agency : Akron Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash involving stolen vehicle

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/29/2023, at approximately 11:31 p.m., Akron Police Department officers spotted a red Kia Forte traveling at high speed northbound on Kelly Avenue near Tech Way Drive. Police determined that the Kia had been reported stolen from a Canton resident. Officers activated their emergency lights and sirens and attempted to stop the vehicle specifically because it was a reported stolen vehicle that officers observed speeding. The driver continued driving away and Akron police pursued.
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The driver was later identified as Miguel Gipson, 18. During the pursuit, the Kia reached speeds of approximately 100 mph. Akron Deputy Police Chief Brian Harding said officers continually evaluated the danger of the pursuit and eventually decided that the excessive speed made continuing the chase unsafe.
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Police reported terminating the pursuit near Kelly Avenue and 6th Avenue after approximately one mile. The Kia continued northbound at high speed after officers discontinued the chase.
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Approximately one mile farther north, near Kelly Avenue and 3rd Avenue, Gipson rear-ended an uninvolved blue Kia that was stopped in the northbound lane. The stolen Kia then struck a utility pole and caught fire. The crash occurred only moments after police reported terminating the pursuit.
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Three 18-year-old men were inside the stolen Kia. Stephonne Jackson, 18, was a passenger. Jackson and the two other men were removed from the wreckage and transported to area hospitals. Jackson was pronounced dead. Gipson and the second passenger survived with serious injuries. The driver of the uninvolved vehicle struck by the Kia was not injured.
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Body-camera footage subsequently obtained by the Akron Beacon Journal documented officers arriving at the burning Kia and attempting to remove the three young men. The vehicle was pinned against a fence with its front end smoking and burning. One person remained trapped in the front passenger seat, and officers pulled him from the vehicle through a rear door.
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At approximately the same time as the pursuit and crash, Akron police were investigating the shooting of a 28-year-old man on nearby Eller Avenue. Early in the investigation, officers considered whether the three men in the stolen Kia might have been connected to that shooting. Body-camera footage recorded officers discussing that possibility at the crash scene. Subsequent investigation, however, determined that the shooting and fatal crash were not connected.
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Police initially did not know which of the three 18-year-olds had been driving the Kia. The subsequent investigation identified Gipson as the driver. On 11/16/2023, Gipson surrendered to police and was arrested in connection with Jackson's death. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, receiving stolen property, willful fleeing and numerous traffic offenses.
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The case subsequently resulted in a criminal conviction. In 2024, Gipson pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, vehicular assault, receiving stolen property and attempted failure to comply with a police officer. The failure-to-comply count was reduced from the original charge.
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Summit County Common Pleas Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Gipson in July 2024 to an indefinite prison term of eight to 12 years.
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Jackson's death also prompted renewed scrutiny of Akron Police Department's pursuit policy. Deputy Chief Harding acknowledged shortly after the crash that the department's pursuit policy was under review by the city's law department. He said officers had terminated this particular pursuit because of the extreme speeds involved.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Akron Police Department officers who initiated and participated in the pursuit have not been publicly identified in the reporting documenting Jackson's death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/crime/2023/08/30/police-chase-akron-1-dead-stolen-kia-forte-police-chase/70718906007/
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/akron-teen-killed-in-stolen-kia-crash-two-other-teens-in-vehicle-seriously-injured
https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/08/30/akron-fatal-stolen-car-crash-shooting-may-be-connected-police-say/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/09/09/akron-police-still-investigating-if-3-men-involved-fatal-stolen-car-crash-are-connected-nearby-shooting/
https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/11/17/akron-police-make-arrest-connection-august-crash-that-killed-teen/