Protests continue after Akron shooting
Emily Baldridge still hadn’t dealt with the grief of losing friend and coworker Jaymeisha Beasley, who died in a car accident last month.
Now she’s starting the process all over again after Beasley’s fiancé, Jayland Walker, was shot and killed by Akron police officers Monday morning.
“What happened to her was an accident,” she said, gripping a cardboard sign declaring “Justice for Jayland.” “But this wasn’t.”
Baldridge cried in front of the Stubbs Justice Center Friday, which marked the third day of protests demanding accountability for the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Walker, a 25-yearold Doordash driver who was killed by multiple shots following a police chase on Monday.
“It’s another public execution of a young kid just doing his job,” said 27year-old Cristy Sotres. “I hope all these officers get fully prosecuted for what they did.”
Sotres led the crowd in call-and-response chants throughout the afternoon, declaring “no justice, no peace, no racist police.”
“How do you spell murderer?” Sotres shouted.
“APD!” the crowd responded.
As of Friday afternoon, the crowd was relatively small — about 20 or so people, all protesting peacefully.
“I think protests are a good way to get people riled up for change,” said 25-year old Chris, who did not give his last name.
Friday was Chris’ birthday. He didn’t expect to spend it protesting but said it’s important to show solidarity with the community.
“As a Black man in Akron, I might not see 26,” he said. “So I have to be out here while I can.”
What happened to Walker?
Much remains unknown about the case, but some questions may be answered on Sunday, when Akron will release bodycam footage of the shooting death.
Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett will hold a press conference 1 p.m. to talk about Walker’s death and to provide further details and review video footage of the shooting.
Mylett will meet with members of the Walker family and their legal representation before the press conference to allow them to review the footage.
At this point, police have offered a general outline of what happened, saying officers tried to pull over Walker around 12:30 a.m. Monday in the city’s North Hill neighborhood for a traffic and equipment violation.
According to police, Walker fled, and officers chased him just more than 4 minutes across town to the Firestone Park area.
Along the way, police said Walker
fired a gun before abandoning his vehicle in a parking lot near the Bridgestone Americas campus. Several officers and police cars arrived on the scene and at least some used stun guns to try to stop Walker before officers opened fire.
A medical examiner’s report reviewed by the Beacon Journal said a gun was found in Walker’s vehicle.
The preliminary report from the medical examiner showed Walker was shot in the face, abdomen and upper legs. It did not specify how many shots hit him, nor how many shots were fired. Police have declined to say how many shots were fired, although some reports have claimed police fired dozens of bullets.
Akron police have turned over the case to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The city on Thursday also canceled its annual rib festival over the July 4 weekend, saying it was no time to celebrate.
Who was Jayland Walker?
Walker’s family have said they want the community to know that Walker, who had no criminal record, never caused trouble.
The family on Thursday held a press conference at St. Ashworth Temple church in which their attorneys said the family demanded accountability from Akron police, while also calling for peace, understanding and justice.
They described Walker as a good man and loving family member who aspired to start his own delivery business. He worked at an Amazon fulfillment center and also as a delivery driver for Doordash,
family said.
Walker had been a standout wrestler at Buchtel High School. Walker’s fiance was killed in May on a highway outside Cincinnati after being struck by a hitskip driver following a car crash. The driver has not been found.
Among Friday’s protesters was Sandra Dees, a resident living in East Akron, whose 26-year-old son was shot and killed by police in Texas last month. Dees said she never found any closure following her son’s death, so she came
to the protest to demand that Walker’s mother gets what she never had.
“I know what that lady’s going through,” Dees said. “I’ve gone through it. She will never be able to see her son again, call him on the phone, hear his voice.”
What do protesters want?
Protesters are demanding more information from the police department, which has been tight lipped when asked questions.
Those in attendance said they sought not only removal from the force, but prosecution for those who struck Walker and killed him.
“It’s all gross and disgusting,” Alex Keller, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls said. “We need to end immunity for people just because they’re police.”
Freedom BLOC, a Black-led organizing collective, on Friday published a list of demands, which include removing the involved officers from paid administrative leave, installing dashboard cameras in all police cruisers, ending the protocol of car chases and more.
“I feel like we’re out here for a different person every few months,” said 22year-old Ary, a protester on Friday who did not give their last name. “I’m out here for future generations to hopefully live in a world where this doesn’t happen. People deserve safety, not fear.”
Beacon Journal staff writers Amanda Garrett and Jim Mackinnon contributed to this report. Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at amarshall1@gannett.com.