Moment Akron BLM activists confront cops before being pepper sprayed
Ohio police distributed pepper spray to Black Lives Matter protesters after several were aggressively approached and allegedly threw rocks at them following the Jayland Walker grand jury decision.
BLM activists gathered on Copley Road in Akron on Wednesday to demand justice after a grand jury failed to indict eight police officers who shot and killed 25-year-old Walker in June 2022.
The state’s attorney general announced that the officers would not be charged because Walker, who had been shot with at least 46 bullets, posed a threat to officers after firing at them during a chase.
While Walker’s family claimed the protest was peaceful and involved several children, police said others threw rocks and bottles at officers just before the officers pulled out the spray.
A video of the protest showed several activists becoming hostile to the police by popping out and yelling “f*** you,” while a man took off his shirt and shouted, “I’m dying over this motherfucker… I’m gonna burn this mess on my kids.’
Black Lives Matter activists were sprayed with pepper spray by Akron, Ohio, officers on Wednesday as they protested the Jayland Walker jury’s decision. In the photo: the protests on Wednesday
The activists gathered to protest the decision not to charge eight police officers who shot and killed Walker in June 2022
Jayland Walker, 25, was shot dead by police in Ohio, with a medical examiner finding he had been shot or scraped 46 times when police fired a hail of bullets at him on June 27.
Footage from the protest showed officers warning people to take to the streets and onto the sidewalks as several cars were parked in the street.
Some officers donned gas masks as several protesters shouted at them.
Another video showed several protesters getting close to officers as some chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
Police were later seen deploying pepper spray on the crowd, while others shouted angry recalls.
Walker’s cousin, Demetrius Travis Sr., told Cleveland.com that the demonstrators only began to devastate when police arrived.
“It was inexcusable and reckless of the mayor and police chief to disperse police officers in riot gear, war gear, pepper spray and smoke bombs, involving children, in a protest that was very peaceful,” Travis said.
Lieutenant Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department said he didn’t know if police were trying to “declare an illegal gathering” before using the pepper spray, the news outlet said.
It is unclear if any officers were injured.
While Walker’s family claimed the protest was peaceful and involved several children, police said others threw rocks and bottles at officers just before the officers pulled out the spray
Footage from the protest showed officers warning people to take to the streets and onto the sidewalks as several cars were parked in the street
Another video showed several protesters getting close to officers as some chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
Protesters were seen calling for justice for Jayland following the grand jury’s decision
Several people stood with posters late on Wednesday afternoon
Lieutenant Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department said he didn’t know if police were trying to “declare an illegal gathering” before using the pepper spray, the news outlet said.
On the day of Walker’s death in June 2022, officers chased his car on a highway and city streets until Walker jumped out of the still-moving vehicle, disobeyed officers’ orders, and ran into a parking lot where he was killed while driving a car. ski mask. bodycam video shown.
Walker fired at police at least once from his vehicle and after jumping out of his car, he ignored orders to stop and show his hands, Attorney General Dave Yost said.
“There is no question that he did indeed shoot at police officers,” Yost said.
While on foot, Walker reached for his waistband as officers chased him and raised his hand, Yost said. The officers, unaware that he had left his gun in the car, thought he fired at them again.
Yost said it’s critical to remember that Walker fired at the police and he “shot first.”
Dash-cam video from a police car captured footage of Walker firing the gun from inside his car, said Anthony Pierson, an assistant attorney general.
Walker had no criminal history and had never fired a gun until he went to a shooting range with a friend in early June, Pierson said.
Pierson would not speculate on Walker’s state of mind that night, saying there was no direct evidence that he was suicidal.
“That night he met the police, he didn’t act himself,” Pierson said. “He was a good man in every way, a good man.”
Authorities said he posed a “mortal threat.” A pistol, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were found in the driver’s seat of his car.
Police had chased Walker and said the 25-year-old black man shot at them 40 seconds into the chase
Walker’s family called it a brutal and senseless shooting of a man who was unarmed at the time and whose fiancé recently died.
Police union officials said the officers believed there was an imminent threat of serious harm and that their actions were in line with their training and protocols.
Walker had mourned the recent death of his fiancé, but his family expressed no further concern, a family representative said earlier.
The blurry CCTV footage of the body did not clearly show what authorities said was a threatening gesture Walker made before he was shot.
Police chased him for about 10 seconds before officers fired from multiple directions, a series of shots lasting 6 or 7 seconds.
The eight officers, whose names have not been made public, were initially put on leave, but returned to administrative duties 3 1/2 months after the shooting.
A district doctor said Walker had been shot at least 40 times. The autopsy also said no illegal drugs or alcohol were found in his body.