AKRON, Ohio — More than two weeks after he was killed in a shooting involving multiple Akron Police officers, Jayland Walker will be laid to rest.
On Monday, Walker's family announced that his funeral will be held on Wednesday, July 13, at the Akron Civic Theatre, located at 182 South Main Street. A viewing will take place from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with the funeral taking place at 1 p.m.
The funeral will be open to the public, with a press conference scheduled to take place after.
“We encourage the public to come out and pay their respects to their fallen neighbor," Bobby DiCello, the family's attorney said at a press conference on Monday, denouncing "Akron Police violence against protesters."
On Tuesday, Walker's family will host a Unity Gathering at the Remedy Church, located at 1700 Britton Road. Doors to the event will open at 6:30 p.m.
The incident involving Walker took place just after midnight on Monday, June 27, when officers attempted to pull over his car for a traffic and equipment violation. Walker proceeded to lead the officers on a high-speed chase down East Tallmadge Avenue toward State Route 8.
At some point during the pursuit, police say that Walker fired a gun out of the window of his car. Among the footage released last Sunday was a traffic video that showed a flash coming out of Walker’s car that they say is consistent with a gunshot.
Following the six-minute-long chase, Walker exited the car on Wilbeth Road near the Bridgestone Tire offices while wearing a black ski mask. The footage shows officers attempting to deploy non-lethal tasers before firing their guns and striking Walker, who was unarmed at the time of the shooting. While Horrigan couldn't confirm how man shots were fired at Walker, he said that he expected the number to be "high" and that the initial medical reports showed that he had 60 bullet wounds.
Police said that they fired their guns because Walker made a motion that caused them to fear for their lives. Mylett said that while it is difficult to see in a real-time viewing of the video, screen captures from the footage show Walker making multiple movements -- including Walker moving his hand to his waist area, turning toward the officers and making a forward motion with his arm -- that he said that each officer involved believed to be Walker moving into a “firing” position.
A gun, magazine round, and gold wedding ring were found in the passenger seat of Walker’s car. Mylett said that officers attempted to perform life-saving aid at the scene before Walker was pronounced dead.
Per department policy, the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave. Seven of the eight officers involved were white and none had previously faced work-related discipline. Walker is Black.
The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
In the days following the incident and release of the bodycam footage, protests in the Akron area have resulted in several arrests and prompted Horrigan to implement multiple curfews in the downtown area, including one from 11 p.m.-5 a.m. on Monday night.
On Monday, the City of Akron announced that no arrests occurred over the weekend as a result of protests or demonstrations.