US officers won’t be charged in ‘grievous’ Jayland Walker killing

World
By William

Walker fired at police first, the attorney general says, as the grand jury voted not to indict officers who shot him 46 times.

A grand jury in Ohio has acquitted eight police officers of wrongdoing in the shooting of a black man following a vehicular and foot chase last year as authorities prepare for another round of demonstrations against alleged police misconduct.

Monday’s decision renewed the call for accountability for Jayland Walker, whose June 2022 murder in the city of Akron sparked protests for racial justice.

In the United States, judges or grand juries — a randomly selected group of citizens — must approve criminal charges to bring suspects to justice.

On June 27, 2022, Akron police officers attempted to pull over 25-year-old Walker after a traffic violation. Walker fled in his car and officers gave chase for more than seven minutes, during which time they saw a firearm fired from his vehicle, police said.

Walker then jumped out of the moving vehicle and ran. Officers overtook him in a parking lot, where they opened fire upon noticing he posed a mortal threat to them, police said.

Eight police officers shot Walker 46 times, five of them in the back, according to an autopsy conducted by Summit County medical examiner Lisa Kohler.

The autopsy also showed that Walker had no drugs or alcohol in his system, she said three weeks after the incident. A gun was found in Walker’s vehicle, police said.

The Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for accountability following Monday’s decision.

“Until we address the systemic issues of racism, implicit bias, white supremacy and white privilege in our criminal justice institutions — particularly metropolitan police departments — we will not be at peace,” the organization said in a series of tweets.

“We support grassroots efforts to install a community oversight body in the aftermath of this tragedy and the many before it, and urge the city to take steps that promote law enforcement accountability.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said his office presented the evidence “neutral” to the grand jury, which he described as a “voice of the community.”

Yost described the footage of the incident – with so many officers firing at Walker at the same time – as “serious”, insisting that the 25-year-old had fired at police first.

“Multiple agents each making independent judgments about a threat and acting independently to neutralize that threat creates a dynamic that exponentially amplifies the use of force,” the attorney general said.

“Having said that, it is critical to remember that Mr. Walker had fired at the police and he fired first.”

The US has struggled for years with issues of police brutality, particularly against black citizens.

Last year, President Joe Biden promised federal authorities would investigate Walker’s murder.

“If the evidence reveals possible violations of federal criminal laws, the Justice Department will take appropriate action. And I just want you to know what’s going to happen,” Biden said.

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