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Ohio Cop Not Charged in Jayland Walker Shooting – The Morning Call

PATRICK ORSAGOS AND JOHN SEEWER (Associated Press)

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A grand jury in Ohio has decided to indict eight police officers last year after Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old black man, fired 94 shots at police officers in his car. I refused. Footchase, the state’s attorney general announced Monday.

Walker was shot 46 times in a hail of gunshots that lasted less than seven seconds after jumping out of a still-moving car and fleeing police, said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

He ignored orders to stop and show his hands, reaching into his waistband and raising his hand as officers pursued him. , he said.

But officers didn’t know Walker left the gun in the car and believed he would fire again, Yost said. He said it’s important to remember that Walker fired at police and that he “fired first.”

A shooting last June that Walker’s family said was brutal and senseless sparked protests in Akron. urged me to

“Don’t face each other, let’s face each other,” Mayor Daniel Horrigan said.

At a press conference filled with tears and frustration, the Walker family and their supporters lamented the grand jury’s inaction and called on Akron residents to loudly protest for justice and change. Sykes said he would ask the agency to look into “the patterns and practices of the Akron Police Department.”

“I still can’t comprehend that a young man has been pierced with 46 bullet holes by a police officer. It’s justified,” Sykes said. “Speak up and remember the words of Jayland’s family, but do so without violence.”

The family and the NAACP previously asked the Department of Justice to initiate a federal civil rights investigation.

Walker’s family attorney, Bobby DiCello, criticized the state’s investigation and said the police had gunned down Walker’s style of execution. He was biased and said, “Jeland didn’t stand a chance.”

“Akron Police Department, when you ask for peace, when you ask for no destruction, when you ask for respect, where was the respect for Jayland?” White said.

A state investigation found that police first saw Walker driving with broken taillights and rear license plate lights, but decided not to pursue him. I saw him at an intersection and decided to pursue him for an equipment violation.

Police said Walker refused to stop and opened fire from his car 40 seconds into the pursuit.

Police pursued the vehicle on highways and city streets, and Walker got out of the still-moving vehicle and fled into a parking lot, where he died wearing a ski mask. said to represent A handgun, a loaded magazine, and a wedding ring were found in the driver’s seat of his car.

Police union officials said the officers believed there was an imminent threat of serious harm and their actions were in line with their training and protocol.

Dashcam video from a police cruiser captured images of Walker firing a gun from the car, said Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pearson. Walker has no criminal record and he had never fired a gun until he went to a shooting range with his friends in early June, Pearson said.

Walker was grieving the recent death of his fiancée, but his family showed no further concern.

Pearson made no speculation about Walker’s state of mind that night, and said there was no direct evidence that he was contemplating suicide.

“That night he ran into police who were not acting on their own,” Pearson said. “For all intents and purposes, he was a good man, a good man.”

Blurry body camera footage released last summer did not clearly show what authorities said was a threatening gesture that Walker made before he was shot.

Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said Monday that the city was launching an internal investigation into the shooting, but said he would not release names due to ongoing threats against eight officers.

Officers who were initially on leave will continue to hold clerical positions.None of the eight officers appear to have been disciplined for previous incidents of violence, according to investigative records released by the state.

The grand jury’s decision shows that officers committed a crime, but “doesn’t negate the tragedy of June 27,” Mylett said.

Lawyers for the eight officers issued a statement saying the incident was a tragedy for the entire community, including all officers associated with Walker’s family. It is something that officials hope will never be coerced,” the statement said.

The county medical officer said an autopsy found no illegal drugs or alcohol in Walker’s body.

Last summer, prosecutors from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office introduced the case to a grand jury after taking over the investigation at the request of the Akron Police Department.

City leaders are gearing up for a possible demonstration and have set up a designated protest zone downtown outside City Hall with plywooded first-floor windows. A temporary fence was also erected around the courthouse, and many businesses boarded up the windows.

Following the grand jury’s announcement, the city’s school district canceled classes on Tuesday.

Twenty-four hours before the chase, police in nearby New Franklin Township attempted to stop a vehicle matching Walker’s vehicle, also for an unspecified minor offense. When the car crossed the town boundary with Akron, the supervisor there called off the chase.

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Seewer reports from Toledo. Contributed by Associated Press writers Julie Kerr-Smith and Samantha Hendrickson of Columbus, Ohio, and Michael Rubingham of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

https://www.mcall.com/2023/04/17/ohio-officers-wont-be-charged-in-shooting-of-jayland-walker/ Ohio Cop Not Charged in Jayland Walker Shooting – The Morning Call

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