AKRON, Ohio — On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that a grand jury decided that no state charges will be filed against the eight Akron police officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker last June.
While the Akron Police Department will start its own investigation into the incident, the city's representative to Congress wants the federal government to get involved as well.
Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13), speaking at a community briefing at St. Ashworth Temple COGIC in Akron, announced that she will call for the U.S. Department of Justice to begin an investigation "into the patterns and practices of the Akron Police Department."
"We need to understand the process of how this department operates," Sykes stated. "The polices, the procedures, the training, and then start to look for solutions for more community-focused policing that serves the need for every segment of this community."
Sykes says her office will reach out to the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to request the investigation. "They (DOJ) don't have to, but I do hope they are listening to the voices of Ms. Walker and the voices of the community."
In order for trust to be rebuilt in the Akron community, Sykes says she will continue to advocate for police accountability and better public safety, telling 3News' Carmen Blackwell that the DOJ request will be the start.
"We should look at it not as retribution, but a way for us to find community-based solutions to move forward," Sykes said on Tuesday. She adds that Cincinnati is a "perfect example" of a city requesting Justice Department assistance to change the way in which the community and the police navigate.
During her remarks on Monday, Sykes became emotional when talking about the significance of Akron in her life and career. "Akron is my home. I was born here, I was raised here. I chose to serve my community and I'm not going to run away from this challenge."
Sykes was joined by Walker family attorneys Bobby DiCello and Ken Abbarno, along with members of the Walker family and several community leaders at Monday evening's event.
You can watch the entire news conference below.