In June 2022 Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot 46 times and killed by police after he was stopped “for minor equipment violations.” On Monday, a grand jury in Akron, Ohio decide no cops would face charges.
During the altercation on June 27, officials claim they attempted to pull Walker over, but he allegedly refused to stop. Officers then gave chase and left Walker with 46 exit wounds.
In the shooting’s aftermath, it was revealed that the officers turned off their mics and body cameras. A gun was reportedly covered inside Walker’s car, although he was unarmed when he was shot, according to ABC News.
“After they shoot and end the life of Pam Walker’s son, they turn off their mics. They turn off their cameras. What did they say? What did they do?” Walker family attorney Bobby DiCello said at a press conference last year. “They’ll come up with a reason why they could turn off the cameras. But probe, ask those questions. In the face of this insult, we’re still here.”
In Monday’s decision, the grand jury concluded the officers involved were legally justified in their use of force, CNN reports.
The Jayland Walker shooting follows a line of police killings in Ohio, from 14-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, to John Crawford III, who was killed in a Dayton-area Walmart. Two years ago, teenager Ma’Khia Bryant was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer after her family claims she was defending herself against women who were threatening her.
After last year’s killing of Jayland Walker, activists demanded an independent citizen oversight board for the police force.