Community Demands Justice After Fatal Police Shooting of Jayland Walker

Dozens of protestors took the streets Thursday demanding justice for Jayland Walker, the 25-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by Akron, Ohio police.

According to WKYC, the deadly incident took place around a little after midnight Monday, when Akron officers attempted to stop a vehicle for equipment issues and a traffic violation. The police department claims a pursuit was initiated after the driver, later identified as Walker, refused to pull over. Walker allegedly led law enforcement on a high-speed chase toward State Route 8, before he began firing a gun from the vehicle.

Minutes into the pursuit, Walker allegedly exited the car and tried to flee on foot. Police say the suspect ran into a nearby parking lot and took actions that officers believed posed a deadly threat. Officers opened fire on Walker, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Autopsy records reviewed by WKYC show Walker had been struck 60 times. Sources told the outlet that some of those shots were fired while Walker’s body was on the ground. Though an insider said Walker was not armed when he was killed, officers claimed that a gun was recovered in his vehicle. 

It remains unclear why he would try to evade police, as he has no criminal record other than speeding tickets.

“The public is going to have legitimate questions and I’ve got questions,” Akon Police Chief Steven Mylett said, adding Walker’s family will be able to view the body-cam footage before it’s released to the public. 

The Akron Police Department confirmed the eight involved officers, seven of whom are white, have been placed on administrative leave pending an internal probe assisted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Once completed, the findings will be given to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and then presented to the Summit County Grand Jury for review.

“Jayland was a sweet young man, he never caused any trouble,” Walker’s aunt, Lajuana Walker-Dawkins, told Cleveland 19. “We love Jayland, he was my sweet little nephew and we miss him.”

On Thursday, a group of demonstrators gathered outside the Akron Police Department, chanting “justice for Jayland,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “No justice, no peace.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” protestor Russel Fennell told the Akron Beacon Journal. “They did it because they knew they could get away with it. To me, this is worse than George Floyd. Racism is racism. I guess in Akron it’s never going away.”