AKRON, Ohio — Following a grand jury's decision not to indict any of the eight officers involved in the shooting death of Jayland Walker last June, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett held a press conference Monday afternoon to give their thoughts on the matter.
Walker died after being shot 46 times following a police pursuit, sparking outrage and protests across the city. Despite all parties involved referring to the situation as "tragic," jurors ruled the officers were justified in their use of deadly force, particularly after an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation probe revealed Walker fired his weapon at law enforcement first (he was not armed when he was shot).
"While I know this may not be the outcome that some members of our community may have wanted, I want to reiterate that this investigation was handled completely independently," Horrigan said. "This is a change in process that our residents have asked for, and was a first for our entire community."
Indeed, Mylett asked for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office to handle the case, and BCI will now oversee the investigations into all critical incidents involving department employees. No police officers or city leaders had any knowledge of the probe's official findings until the AG made them public today.
"In no way does [the grand jury's decision] take away from the tragedy of June 27 and the loss of such a young life," Mylett stated. "I firmly believe that no Akron police officer in the course of their duties wants to discharge their firearm at another human being, resulting in the loss of life."
On the advice of Akron's law department and due to "active, viable, and credible" threats against them, the names of the eight officers involved will not be released. The individuals were initially placed on leave before being brought back to work in an administrative capacity last October, and Mylett says their duties will remain as such "for the foreseeable future."
An internal review of the officers' actions will now begin, with Mylett ultimately deciding if any of them violated department policies during the incident. Some of the things investigators will be looking at related to the incident include:
- Past training and instruction
- Police procedures and adherence to those procedures
- Supervisory decisions
- Tactical judgement
Mylett says the department has already updated some of its training procedures such as when suspects can be handcuffed (Walker himself had been put in cuffs despite likely being dead at the time), and the force will also be under the oversight of a voter-approved civilian review board. The chief also acknowledged the long road ahead for the community.
"No one wins; it's a loss for everyone," he said. "We have a lot of work to do to find a path forward, because in the end, we need each other. Where trust has been lost or fractured, we will work hard to earn it back."
A demonstration zone for protestors has been set up on South High Street from East Bowery Street to State Street. Both Mylett and Horrigan have warned against any violent acts or property destruction, seeking to prevent a repeat of some of the events that took place last summer.
"I would ask that during these times of tension and trauma that you turn towards one another, and not on each other," Horrigan remarked. "As you raised your voices and seek the change that you want to see, I would ask that you do so nonviolently."