A year later, activists to prod DOJ over Jayland Walker shooting
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A demonstrator holds a sign during a vigil in honor of Jayland Walker on July 8, 2022 in Akron, Ohio. Photo: Angelo Merendino/Getty Images
Activists plan to rally outside the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to mark one year since the death of Jayland Walker, a Black man from Akron, Ohio, who was killed by police.
Why it matters: Walker's death led to weeks of civil unrest in Ohio and spurred a nationwide discussion on police use of force against people of color.
Catch up quick: Police fatally shot Walker, 25, during an attempted traffic stop. A preliminary autopsy report found Walker had 46 gunshot wounds, AP reports.
- Police said Walker fled the traffic stop in his car and fired a gunshot from his vehicle. When he pulled over and ran away, police contend that Walker reached for his waist, but Walker was not armed when police shot him.
- President Biden said in the weeks following Walker's shooting the DOJ would take "appropriate action" if the investigation revealed violations of federal law.
- In April, a grand jury declined to indict the Akron police officers in the June 27, 2022 shooting.
The latest: Local and national advocacy groups, including the Akron NAACP, sent a letter to the DOJ, asking the agency to investigate the officers involved in Walker's shooting and the Akron Police Department, located about 40 miles south of Cleveland.
- The move is a renewed effort for activists, local leaders and the family of Walker to push for justice, this time by the DOJ.
Between the lines: The request comes nearly two weeks after the federal government released its findings of civil rights violations in the Minneapolis Police Department.
Zoom out: The DOJ has already worked with at least two Ohio cities — Columbus and Cleveland — to help reform their police departments. Now, activists want the DOJ to focus its attention on Akron.
What they're saying: "Mr. Walker's family, and the Akron community, deserve accountability and justice," the statement by activists read.
- "Local authorities have shown themselves unwilling or unable to deliver justice in this case of deadly force. The DOJ has a duty to open a separate, independent federal civil rights investigation of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Mr. Walker."
Rev. Mark Thompson, a civil rights activist who will be among the leaders at the rally in D.C., tells Axios there's nowhere else to turn to seek justice.
- "There has to be an ongoing demand for accountability, for responsibility in a death such as this one, just as any other death," Thompson said.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Walker's family filed a federal civil complaint alleging the officers used excessive force and engaged in violent behavior that mirrors similar forceful incidents involving the department, according to court documents.
- The city of Akron and the mayor are listed as defendants.
The other side: The city of Akron, citing a pending lawsuit, declined to comment.
- The Akron police department and the DOJ did not immediately return requests for comment.
