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The mayor of Akron, Ohio issued a state of emergency and canceled Fourth of July festivities after cops unleashed a wave of tear gas on protesters who gathered outside of the city’s main courthouse on Sunday night.
Mayor Dan Horrigan issued the emergency proclamation Monday morning after several hundred protesters took to the streets after the Akron Police Department released bodycam footage showing the shooting death of Jayland Walker.
Walker, 25, was killed after being shot at least 60 times by Akron cops following a traffic stop on June 27.
Horrigan, cancelling Independence Day fireworks and issuing a 9pm city-wide curfew, said ‘violent and unlawful acts’ committed during the protests ‘create an immediate danger to the health and safety’ of citizens.
Before the video was released Sunday, Walker’s family – and city officials – stressed they wanted peace to be maintained.
The mayor of Akron issued a state of emergency and canceled Fourth of July festivities after cops unleashed a wave of tear gas on protesters who gathered outside of the city’s main courthouse on Sunday night
The state of emergency proclamation came after several hundred protesters took to the streets Sunday after the Akron Police Department released bodycam footage showing the shooting death of Jayland Walker
The protests left several small businesses in the city’s downtown area damaged
Horrigan issued the curfew, which remains in effect until 6am Tuesday, after peaceful demonstrations turned violent overnight, causing damage to the city.
‘We cannot and will not tolerate the destruction of property or violence,’ he said in a statement. ‘In light of the damage that has occurred and in order to preserve peace in our community, I have declared a state of emergency, implemented a curfew and canceled the fireworks which were scheduled for tonight.’
Jayland Walker, 25, was shot dead by police in Akron, Ohio after officers tried to stop him for a traffic violation
Small businesses in the city’s downtown were vandalized and suffered broken windows.
Riot police used tear gas in response to a protester who was taking down barriers that were set up outside of the police headquarters. Authorities responded by coming out in ‘full riot gear.’
While fleeing the tear gas, protesters began driving their cars on the sidewalk to get around snowplows parked in the road to block off the high street. At least one protester broke the windows of the parked plows.
Other protesters launched smoke bombs in the streets and a row of dumpsters was set on fire.
Horrigan applauded the demonstrators who opted to remain peaceful, honoring the wishes of Walker’s loved ones.
‘Early yesterday, we had several peaceful protests in the downtown footprint related to the officer-involved shooting of Jayland Walker. These protests did not escalate to violence and destruction. I want to first thank them,’ the mayor said Monday.
‘As I stated yesterday, I fully support our residents’ right to peacefully assemble. What we have been calling for since the beginning, and what the Walker family and many community leaders and faith leaders have also urged, is peace.’
Although he respects residents right to protest, the mayor reiterated that ‘actions must be taken to protect the community’ from violence.
Mayor Dan Horrigan issued the emergency proclamation Monday morning
Police used ‘at least a dozen’ tear gas cans on protesters which resulted in many of the gathered crowd leaving the area, WKYC’s Neil Fischer reported. He said that you could smell the tear gas in the air more than 15 minutes after it was used.
Fellow WKYC reporter Emma Henderson tweeted: ‘Tear gas is flowing. We were well over a block away from where it was fired and it’s in our noses, eyes and throats. Protesters are finding each other water and moving away.’
One protester, who goes by the moniker Comrade Ohio on Twitter, tweeted a video showing a dumpster on fire in the city.
The dumpster is located close to the police headquarters, reports WKYC.
He tweeted: ‘City gonna burn. Tear gas deployed. Justice for Jayland Walker. Abolish APD. They are flying the blue line flag. Come downtown y’all. We need more people.’
Following the release of the bodycam footage showing the shooting of Walker, the Fraternal Order of Police’s Akron Lodge #7 said that the car being driven by the victim was involving a ‘felony fleeing police chase’ the previous morning.
A man gestures toward troopers in riot gear as police deployed tear gas and stun grenades to clear the area around Akron City Hall and Akron Police Station during a protest over the killing of Jayland Walker, shot by police, in Akron on Sunday
Demonstrators face troopers in riot gear as police deployed tear gas to clear the crowd in Akron on Sunday
Troopers in riot gear and police officers deployed tear gas and stun grenades to clear the area around Akron City Hall and Akron Police Station on Sunday
One protester, who goes by the moniker Comrade Ohio on Twitter, tweeted a video showing a dumpster on fire in the city. The dumpster is located close to the police headquarters
ComradeOhio also shared clips of tear gas being deployed during Sunday’s disturbances
Riot police are pictured gathered in Akron on Sunday evening
That chase took place just north of Akron in Franklin Township.
The press release adds: ‘We believe the independent investigation will justify the officers’ actions, including the number of shots fired. The decision to deploy lethal force as well as the number of shots fired is consistent with use of force protocols and officers’ training.’
The Akron NAACP held a rally and march in downtown Sunday after police released the body camera footage. Sunday marks the fourth day of protests calling for accountability and transparency within the Akron Police Department.
The protest that took place outside of the courthouse and the police headquarters was not part of the NAACP march, reports Cleveland.com.
The crowd outside of the courtroom tweeted: ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, these racist cops have got to go.’ According to Cleveland.com, many from the NAACP march eventually joined the protest outside of the police station.
Troopers in riot gear watch as demonstrators gather outside Akron City Hall to protest the killing of Jayland Walker, who was shot by police, in Akron on Sunday
Police officers in riot gear watch as demonstrators gather outside Akron City Hall to protest the killing of Jayland Walker in Akron
Demonstrators face troopers in riot gear as police deployed tear gas and stun grenades to clear the area around Akron City Hall and Akron Police Station during a protest over the killing of Jayland Walker, shot by police, in Akron on Sunday
One woman was quoted by the website as saying over a megaphone: ‘I didn’t know him, but I feel y’all pain. I want y’all to know, this thing is trending everywhere, Nigeria, Germany. We can’t let this keep happening to us. My heart goes out to all of [those] getting killed in these streets. It ain’t right, we need to stand together.’
During that woman’s speech, she said that she refused to buy her son a toy gun because she was afraid that police officers would mistake it for a real gun.
An armed member of the Black Panthers told 19 News on Sunday: ‘That was murder. They [police] lying. They shot him while he was running. He was running away from them. That was murder.’
The station said that the man was with at least three other armed men in the protest.
Earlier in the day, demonstrators held ‘Justice for Jayland’ signs as they gathered outside Akron City Hall to protest the killing of Jayland Walker in Akron on Sunday afternoon
Demonstrators gather outside Akron City Hall to protest the killing of Jayland Walker, shot by police, in Akron, on Sunday
People walk in an NAACP-led march and rally for Jayland Walker, on Sunday in Akron, Ohio
LeBron James, who was born and grew up in Akron, asked his followers to pray for his city
LeBron later released a separate statement through his foundation’s Instagram page
Meanwhile Los Angeles Lakers and Akron native LeBron James tweeted shortly after the bodycam footage was made public: ‘I pray for my city today!’
In a separate statement on his foundation’s Instagram page, LeBron said: ‘Akron is our home and it is our daily work to build up and bring people together in positive and peaceful ways, which is what we will support today and always.’
It continued: ‘This starts with justice and accountability first and continues with love, family, and coming together to create change. We are family.’
Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan also commented on the footage, saying: ‘The video is heartbreaking, it’s hard to take in.’
Jayland Walker’s family have pleaded with protesters to remain peaceful in the wake of his death
Attorney Bobby DiCello, who represents Walker’s family, described the video as ‘brutal’ in comments published on Saturday by the Akron Beacon Journal.
He said Walker’s relatives worried that protests this weekend could turn violent.
‘We’re all bracing for the community’s response, and the one message that we have is the family does not need any more violence,’ DiCello said.
Officials joined the family on Sunday, calling for peaceful demonstrations as furious residents take to the streets.
Walker’s aunt, Minnie, called for peace saying: ‘We don’t show credibility if we don’t do it right.’
Walker’s relative Robert Dejournett, a pastor at St. Ashworth Temple Church of God in Christ in Akron, told CNN: ‘We’re God-fearing folk who believe in God and we want to exemplify that even in this process. We don’t want any rioting or anything like that.’
Dejournett said the family hopes the shooting will lead to systematic change.
‘We want to take that, and we want to use it for the benefit of systemic change,’ Dejournett said. ‘We want to be treated like human beings, you know, black men, young men, they’re afraid when it comes to police — that shouldn’t be,’ he said.
In May 2020, the Akron Police Department fired multiple volleys of tear gas on protesters just in the protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, reports the Akron Beacon Journal.
The shocking footage showed multiple officers approach Walker’s vehicle and open fire as he fled on foot. The hail of bullets sounded like ‘a whole brick of fireworks going off,’ the family’s attorney alleged.
Video from the scene also showed a gun on the front seat of Walker’s car, contradicting earlier reports that the 25-year-old had been unarmed.
The cameras captured what appeared to be a flash of a gun coming from Walker’s car during the chase. Akron police previously claimed Walker had fired a gun at officers who were pursuing him.
The medical examiner determined Walker had suffered 60 gunshot wounds during the incident, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett confirmed Sunday. The exact number of shots fired remains under investigation, but initial estimates suggested a hail of 90 bullets.
The hail of bullets sounded like ‘a whole brick of fireworks going off,’ the family’s attorney said
Police have released heartbreaking body camera footage of the moment Jayland Walker was shot 60 times in hail of 90 bullets on June 27
Police have released heartbreaking body camera footage of the moment Jayland Walker was shot 60 times in hail of 90 bullets on June 27
Video from the scene showed a gun on the front seat of Walker’s car, contradicting earlier reports that the 25-year-old had been unarmed
Mylett said officers rendered aid to Walker as soon as gunfire ceased, but he still died at the scene.
Eight cops were directly involved in the shooting. Mylett said they have been placed administrative leave while the Bureau of Criminal Investigation probes the incident.
The shooting was the latest in a spate of killings of black men by law enforcement in the United States that critics say are unjustified, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that ignited global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
Police released two police body-camera videos from the fatal shooting during Sunday’s press conference.
The first video showed cops pursuing Walker’s silver Buick on Route 8 around 12.30am in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. They attempted to pull him over for a traffic and equipment violation.
The video showed Walker’s car taking an onramp and a flash of light that Mylett said appeared to be a flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car.
A second camera recorded officers saying they heard at least one shot being fired from Walker’s vehicle. The cops follow Walker off Route 8 and continue the pursuit on the city streets.
Walker slowed down and jumped out of the car before it came to a full stop. Video then shows the 25-year-old exiting the passenger side door in a ski mask and running off.
Multiple officers run after Walker, who seemingly looked over his shoulder, while cops opened fire at him.
Mylett claims he watched the video at least 40 times and stated there are still photos showing Walker apparently reach for his waistband, turn towards cops and move his arm forward.
DailyMail.com cannot verify Mylett’s statements as Walker’s face and body were blurred out in the video at the request of his family.
The city of Akron has a population of around 200,000 and is located 30 miles southeast of Cleveland.
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