The Jason Turkovich case ended on April 25, 2024, when a Summit County judge sentenced the Akron man to 12 to 15 years in prison for shooting two women outside a West Akron duplex on July 30, 2022. Turkovich pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault and one count of having weapons while under disability. The shooting followed nearly a year of escalating harassment of his downstairs neighbor.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment
A Year of Harassment Before the Shooting
Turkovich lived above 21-year-old student Teasijah Rogers in a duplex on the 200 block of Stoddard Avenue. For roughly a year, according to prosecutors and Rogers, he harassed her: she alleged he tried to remove and spray-painted her surveillance cameras and tampered with the building’s breaker box to cut power to her unit.2Cleveland 19 News. Akron Shooting Victim Talks About Ongoing Feud With Neighbor That Led to Shootout
Days before the shooting, Turkovich was charged with aggravated menacing after allegedly confronting Rogers with a knife in the basement, an encounter she recorded on her phone. He was free on a signature bond from Akron Municipal Court on those menacing charges when the July 30 shooting occurred.2Cleveland 19 News. Akron Shooting Victim Talks About Ongoing Feud With Neighbor That Led to Shootout
What Happened on July 30, 2022
Rogers came home that afternoon to find the exterior door nailed shut. Inside, her apartment had been doused in gasoline.2Cleveland 19 News. Akron Shooting Victim Talks About Ongoing Feud With Neighbor That Led to Shootout A verbal altercation followed outside. Turkovich came out wearing a tactical vest and carrying a firearm, and opened fire. He shot Rogers once in the buttocks and leg. He shot her 33-year-old aunt, Kayla Holt, three times.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment
A 23-year-old woman, Cheyann Balas, had arrived to help. She returned fire with her own weapon. Neither she nor Turkovich was hit.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment Akron police were dispatched just after 4:15 p.m., and the first officer on scene found Turkovich and Balas still exchanging gunfire. Balas surrendered her weapon immediately and was not charged. Officers applied tourniquets to Rogers and Holt before paramedics took them to the hospital.3Cleveland.com. Gun Battle Outside Apartment Building in West Akron Leaves 2 Women Wounded
Turkovich fled the scene but was located hiding behind a nearby apartment building and arrested without incident.2Cleveland 19 News. Akron Shooting Victim Talks About Ongoing Feud With Neighbor That Led to Shootout
Bond, Flight to South Carolina, and Recapture
Turkovich was initially charged with three counts of felonious assault. He posted 10 percent of a $100,000 bond and was released on August 4, 2022, five days after the shooting. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of release but never obtained one.4Cleveland 19 News. Akron Man Charged With Shooting Two Women Arrested in Myrtle Beach
On August 8, 2022, he was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after a Northeast Ohio resident tipped off local authorities.4Cleveland 19 News. Akron Man Charged With Shooting Two Women Arrested in Myrtle Beach Around the same time, an Akron judge issued another arrest warrant accusing him of threatening Rogers’ mother in front of police officers.2Cleveland 19 News. Akron Shooting Victim Talks About Ongoing Feud With Neighbor That Led to Shootout
The Guilty Plea and a Failed Withdrawal
The case went to trial in Summit County Common Pleas Court before Judge Kathryn Michael. Mid-trial, on December 14, 2023, Turkovich took a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault, both second-degree felonies, one with a gun specification, and to having weapons while under disability. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges, and Judge Michael ordered him into custody immediately.5Akron Beacon Journal. Akron Man Pleads Guilty in Incident Involving His Neighbors
On January 5, 2024, Turkovich moved to withdraw the plea, saying his original attorney had pressured him. New counsel took over later that month. After two months on the case, his new attorneys filed to withdraw the request, and the guilty plea stood.6Akron Beacon Journal. Akron Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting Two Women He Allegedly Harassed
Sentence and Lasting Injuries
Judge Michael sentenced Turkovich on April 25, 2024, to 12 to 15 years in prison, followed by one and a half to three years of post-release supervision, and ordered him to potentially pay $3,400 in restitution to one of the survivors.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment
All three women spoke at sentencing. Holt, hit three times, described a 15-hour surgery to repair her intestines, frequent vomiting and dehydration, nightly reliance on a feeding bag, and dependence on a wheelchair. She told the court her chronic pain would last the rest of her life, and said watching Turkovich point a gun at her niece’s head hurt more than her own injuries. Rogers described the steel rod now in her leg and ongoing PTSD. Balas, physically unhurt, described persistent hypervigilance and anxiety triggered by loud noises. Judge Michael called Balas a “hero” and a “blessing” for stepping in.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment
Turkovich told the court he was “deeply sorry” and said he had acted out of fear for a friend’s safety, adding that he never wished for anyone to get hurt.1Akron Beacon Journal. Jason Turkovich Sentenced in Shooting That Followed Year of Harassment