Akron mayor declares curfew after protests of fatal shooting

Protesters in Akron, Ohio, faced tear gas from police as they were demonstrating Sunday night after authorities released body-camera footage of a Black man’s fatal shooting.

Although the protests remained peaceful for most of Sunday, Mayor Daniel Horrigan, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency Monday morning, saying in a statement that the protests escalated as night fell. Horrigan’s executive order said, “There is credible cause to believe that further threats of violence and unrest exist.”

The city has seen days of protests in response to the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker on June 27. Eight Akron police officers fired dozens of rounds, killing Walker, 25, after a chase that began as a stop for traffic and equipment violations, police said.

The department released body-camera footage from all the officers involved in the shooting. The videos show the car chase, during which police said Walker fired a gun, and they end in officers shooting him dozens of times in a parking lot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The city ordered a curfew scheduled to start at 9 p.m. and continue overnight to 6 a.m., until further notice. It also canceled a scheduled July Fourth fireworks event. Horrigan’s statement said there had been “significant property damage” to downtown Akron. “Small businesses up and down Main St. have had their windows broken,” his statement said. “We cannot and will not tolerate the destruction of property or violence.”

The killing has caused outrage in the city, with many residents demanding change and accountability alongside the Walker family.

City officials and attorneys for the Walkers said the family have called for peace in the community.

Protests throughout the day were largely peaceful. After nightfall, WKYC reported, police were dressed in riot gear at the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center in downtown Akron. Late Sunday night, people threw water bottles and other objects at the building, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Journalists’ social media video showed a gas canister land near protesters at the city building; reporters referred to it as “tear gas.”

It’s unclear whether anyone had been injured or arrested Sunday. The Akron Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.