Akron Man Shot 15 Times Sues Officer and City in Federal Court

AKRON, Ohio — A 37-year-old Akron man who was shot 15 times by a city police officer outside an Ellet bar last year has sued the officer and the city of Akron in federal court, in the latest excessive-force case facing the city, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

Corey Phillips filed the lawsuit on Nov. 10, 2026, against Officer Caleb Bodjanac and the city, according to the Beacon Journal. Phillips was walking outside Karam’s Lounge on Albrecht Avenue on Nov. 11, 2025, when a 911 call from inside the bar reported a man pointing a firearm toward the business, the Beacon Journal reported.

The lawsuit alleges Phillips was unarmed, alone and not threatening anyone when Bodjanac arrived, the Beacon Journal reported. “Corey was unarmed, alone, not threatening anyone, and not trying to flee — he was just standing there,” the lawsuit alleges, according to the Beacon Journal. The encounter lasted about 20 seconds from the moment Bodjanac stepped out of his cruiser to when he opened fire, body camera footage showed, according to the Beacon Journal.

When Bodjanac arrived at about 9:14 p.m., he pointed his firearm at Phillips and demanded, using profanity, that Phillips get his hands out of his pockets, body camera footage showed, the Beacon Journal reported. Phillips put his hands up, and Bodjanac then demanded he get on the ground, warning him he would be shot, according to the Beacon Journal’s account of the footage. Phillips leaned over but stood back up, and seconds later Bodjanac opened fire, the Beacon Journal reported.

It took about two and a half minutes for officers to make physical contact with Phillips, at which point officers handcuffed him, searched him and removed his jacket and shirt while waiting for aid, according to the Beacon Journal. The lawsuit says Phillips suffered extensive gunshot wounds requiring surgery and permanent injuries, the Beacon Journal reported.

Attorneys Marcus Sidoti, Sarah Gelsomino and Elizabeth Bonham represent Phillips, and the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge John Adams in the Northern District of Ohio, according to the Beacon Journal. A city of Akron spokesperson declined to comment, and the city does not typically comment on pending litigation, the Beacon Journal reported.

The lawsuit also alleges Bodjanac had a history of excessive force, saying he used force 14 times during his first year in Akron, including pointing his gun at people and tasing and punching people during welfare checks and calls involving intoxicated people, according to the Beacon Journal. It accuses the city of tolerating excessive force by not adequately addressing incidents, and describes unlawful force as a deep-seated problem in the department, the Beacon Journal reported. In support, the lawsuit cited the Police Executive Research Forum report that recommended dozens of police policy changes, according to the Beacon Journal.

The filing lands on a city that has already paid roughly $10 million in recent fatal police shooting lawsuits, according to the Beacon Journal. The city said it would issue bonds to cover the $4.75 million settlement paid from its general fund to the family of Jazmir Tucker, a 15-year-old shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day in 2024 by Officer Davon Fields, who was later fired, the Beacon Journal reported. Akron also paid a $4.85 million settlement to the family of Jayland Walker, whom police shot in June 2022 after he fled a traffic stop, according to the Beacon Journal, and the city faces a separate $10 million federal lawsuit following the shooting death of Michael Jones, the Beacon Journal reported.

The Phillips case is one of two federal lawsuits now drawing attention to Akron institutions this month. Akron Public Schools’ spokeswoman Stacey Hodoh filed her own federal discrimination and retaliation suit against the district on Nov. 12 — a case NewsForce247 covered in Akron Schools Spokeswoman Sues District in Federal Court, Alleging Bias. The two cases are unrelated, but both will play out in the same Northern District courthouse.

What we know — and what we’re still waiting on: The allegations above are the claims in Phillips’ filed lawsuit, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal; they have not been tested in court. The city has not responded in court or commented publicly, and no court ruling has been made on any part of the case. NewsForce247 has not independently reviewed the body camera footage.

What happens next is procedural: the city and Bodjanac will be served and will file their response in federal court, and Judge Adams will set the early schedule for the case. Any settlement, like the Tucker and Walker agreements before it, would require Akron City Council action — the point at which this lawsuit would become a direct cost decision for Akron taxpayers.