Police
Akron officers not charged in Jayland Walker’s shooting
A special grand jury in Ohio declined to indict the Akron police officers who shot a 25-year-old Black man dozens of times, killing him, after a car chase and foot chase last year.
The eight Akron officers responsible for shooting Jayland Walker and killing him will not be charged in his death.
Grand jury declines to indict officers for shooting Jayland Walker
On Monday, a special grand jury of six women and three men concluded the actions of the officers were justified, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Jayland Walker shooting
The incident took place just after midnight on June 27, 2022, when police initiated a traffic stop Walker’s 2005 Buick vehicle with a broken license plate light, according to authorities. Walker drove away from officers and fired a gunshot from his vehicle during the car chase, according to police.
Walker purportedly then exited the vehicle wearing a ski mask and led police on a foot chase, ignoring commands to stop and show his hands, Yost said. Officers attempted to use non-lethal Tasers to pursue him, Yost said. Walker then made a motion that officers interpreted as threatening, leading to the shooting, Yost said.
The 25-year-old was unarmed at the time he was killed, according to police.
A gun was found in his vehicle after the shooting. Case shellings and the ballistics of a shot recovered nearby matched the weapon, Yost said.
Officers fired a total of 94 shots at Walker within 6.7 seconds, according to the investigation. Three of the officers fired 18 times each.
Walker suffered 46 gunshot entrance wounds or graze injuries, according to an autopsy by Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler. Despite being overwhelming shot, Walker was handcuffed after the shooting.
Walker had no criminal record and worked as an Uber and Lyft driver before his untimely death.
What happens next?
Bobby DiCello, the Walker Family’s attorney, told CNN Monday he was disappointed in the grand jury’s decision, and that the family will file a civil suit. “We’re going to be filing it before the one year anniversary of his death,” he said.
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