Representative Emilia Sykes is calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the Akron Police Department after a grand jury declined to charge the eight officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker in Ohio last year.
Sykes, the U.S. congresswoman who represents a district that includes Akron, said in a statement issued on Monday that she would be formally requesting the investigation just after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that the grand jury had decided the shooting was "justified." Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed in June following a traffic stop.
"We've seen it too many times," Sykes said. "A routine traffic stops ends in death, and a family and community mourns the loss of a son. A brother. A friend. A neighbor. As this country and community reckons with another tragic death, we find ourselves yearning for a justice system that protects us all."
Sykes added that the "trust between the community and the law enforcement officers who have taken an oath to protect and serve" had been violated and "must be rebuilt" in the wake of the shooting.
The congresswoman urged the DOJ to investigate "the patterns and practices of the Akron Police Department to start the process of understanding how the department operates and look to create solutions for more community-focused policing that serves the needs of every segment of our community."
Sykes went on to say that those angered by the decision against pursuing charges should honor Walker's memory and his family's wishes by "protesting without violence."
Walker was unarmed at the time of the fatal shooting. Akron police, however, said that a car chase ensued just after the traffic stop, with Walker shooting a gun from his car about 40 seconds into the pursuit.
After exiting his vehicle, Walker ran from officers before being shot 46 times, including five times in the back, according to Reuters. Police said that they later found a gun inside his vehicle.
During a press conference after the grand jury's decision Monday, Yost said police "attempted to use non-lethal tasers to subdue" Walker before he reached "for his waistband" and "turned toward the officers while raising his hand."
"Only then did the officers fire, believing Mr. Walker was firing again at them," said Yost. "Although the officers did not know it at the time, Mr. Walker had left his recently purchased gun in his car."
"The grand jury concluded that the officers were legally justified in their use of force," he added. "Legal justification does not change the terrible, permanent damage of Jayland Walker's death."
Yost went on to say that the body-worn camera footage in the case was "especially grievous to watch," conceding that it was "unusual" for so many officers to fire their guns at the same time at a single suspect.
After Walker was killed last year, President Joe Biden promised that the DOJ would be taking "the appropriate action" if "the evidence reveals potential violations of federal criminal statutes."
Newsweek has reached out via email to the office of Yost, the Akron Police Department and the DOJ for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
