The city of Akron, Ohio, declared a state of emergency Monday, instituted a curfew and canceled Independence Day fireworks, after protests over the police killing of an unarmed black man turned riotous on Monday. Sunday night.
The protests erupted after police released body camera video showing eight officers shooting 25-year-old Jayland Walker as he fled a traffic stop last week. Walker’s body was found to have about 60 gunshot wounds.
Sunday’s daytime protests were peaceful, but despite the Walker family’s pleas that the demonstrations remain peaceful, Akron police declared an assembly illegal after property was damaged. Officers in riot gear fired about a dozen tear gas canisters to disperse protesters, WKYC-TV said.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said a curfew for downtown Akron was in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice, and a pair of Fourth of July fireworks shows were also canceled.
“There was significant property damage in downtown Akron. Small business windows along Main Street were broken. We cannot and will not tolerate property destruction or violence,” Horrigan said in a statement.
The shooting of Jayland Walker marks the latest in a string of police killings of unarmed black men, raising questions about police use of force and equal justice for African Americans, and contributing to further polarization in USA.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Reuters the Justice Department, including the Civil Rights Division and the FBI Akron field office, is closely monitoring and evaluating the situation surrounding Walker’s death.
“These images are disturbing,” Bates said. “And no family should have to endure the terrible grief and loss of a loved one that the Walker family is experiencing right now.”
Police said Walker had a gun in his car but left it in the front seat as he fled on foot. Officers believed he fired a round from inside the car before fleeing, police said, and that Walker “was moving into firing position” when he got out of his car, prompting them to react to him as a threat. potential, said Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett. he said.
‘FAIR’ INVESTIGATION VOTE
The mayor praised the peaceful protests, which were spearheaded by the Akron chapter of the NAACP. Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the city of about 200,000 people, waving “Black Lives Matter” flags and chanting, “We’re done dying” and “Justice for Jayland.”
Horrigan said the problem began after dark, a pattern seen in the turbulent summer of 2020, as protests spread across the United States over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer walked by. knelt on his neck for several minutes. The officers were later convicted of various charges, including murder and civil rights violations in Floyd’s case.
On Sunday, the Walker family’s attorney, Bobby DiCello, told reporters he was “very concerned” by the police allegation that Walker had shot at officers from his car, adding that there was no justification for his violent death.
“I ask you, while he is running away, what is reasonable? Shoot him down? No, that’s not reasonable,” DiCello said.
The Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating, and the file will be made public when the case concludes, Attorney General Dave Yost said Sunday.
“People want and deserve answers, and they will get them. BCI will conduct a full, fair and expert investigation,” Yost said in a statement.
All eight officers directly involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, the Akron police chief said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason. Editing by Mary Milliken and Bill Berkrot)