AKRON, Ohio — New video released Thursday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol is giving us more perspective of the protests that followed the release of body camera footage showing the shooting death of Jayland Walker by Akron police.
Demonstrations against Walker's killing were almost exclusively peaceful during that Sunday, but took a turn as night fell on downtown. Building and vehicle windows were smashed and several fires were set, resulting in officers spraying tear gas and making roughly 50 arrests.
The newest footage obtained by 3News comes from one of OSHP's choppers, and utilizes night vision technology to paint a clearer picture of the situation. In one particularly striking image, protesters can be seen tearing down barricades in front of the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center while shouting at police in riot gear, who subsequently deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd.
As a result of the unrest, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan ordered a curfew for all of downtown both Monday and Tuesday evening. The curfew was lifted Wednesday, only to be reissued Thursday following seven more arrests and a lockdown at Cleveland Clinic Akron General hospital last night.
Eight Akron officers shot Walker dozens of times following a police chase, and the 25-year-old died in the parking lot of Bridgestone's campus. He was not armed at the time of the shooting, but the department claims he fired a gunshot out his car window during the initial chase, and the officers involved claimed he made a motion that caused them to fear for their safety. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is looking into the incident.