AKRON, Ohio — The family of Jayland Walker, the man shot and killed by Akron police officers more than two years ago, has announced a settlement agreement with the city after previously filing a federal lawsuit.
According to a joint statement, the city of Akron has agreed to pay the Walker family $4,850,000 in a series of four installments over the next four years.
"We all agree: Akron should be a place where everyone is safe. We all know there are important problems to address in our community and it is through our continued commitment, courage, and conversations we will move our city forward, together," the statement concluded.
In a filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio last week, the plaintiffs and defendants jointly confirmed they "have (an) agreement on settlement terms and are filing the necessary paperwork and processes to affect the settlement."
The case dates back to June 22, 2022, when eight officers fatally shot Walker following a pursuit. Investigators discovered law enforcement had fired more than 90 bullets during the confrontation, with more than 40 of them hitting Walker.
Authorities later found a gun in Walker's car that prosecutors determined he had fired at police during the car chase. Walker was not armed when he was killed, but a grand jury eventually declined to indict any of the eight officers, with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost saying police "did not know at the time Mr. Walker had left his recently purchased gun in his car" and were therefore within their rights to use deadly force due to Walker firing the initial round.
Nearly a year after Walker's death, his family filed a wrongful death suit seeking $45 million, "$1 million for each bullet that struck Jayland Walker." Besides the eight officers involved, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett (both of whom have since left their positions) were named as defendants, as well as five higher-ups within the Akron Police Department:
- Lieutenant Daniel Marx
- Sergeant Michael Pasternak
- Sergeant Vincent Tersigni
- Detective Sergeant Michael Orrand
- Sergeant Todd Sinsley
According to 3News media partner Signal Akron, settlement talks had been ongoing "for months." The city has already enacted some changes to police policy, with new Mayor Shammas Malik announcing back in April that officers "will no longer conduct vehicle chases for equipment violations alone." The pursuit of Walker's car had initially begun because of a broken tail light and has also been involved in a similar chase the night before in New Franklin.
In the wake of Walker's death, Akron voters also approved a new Citizens' Police Oversight Board that will scrutinize police use-of-force policies and review internal investigations, however it will not have the authority to conduct its own investigations that run parallel to active departmental probes.
The law firm DiCello Levitt, which has represented the Walker family since 2022, says it will hold a press conference at a later date on behalf of the family. Attorney Bobby DiCello did provide the below statement to 3News:
“There’s more to the settlement than money. The family accomplished meaningful policy changes with its litigation efforts. And those changes will make everyone in Akron safer. We will be setting a press conference at the appropriate time to discuss the settlement and the family’s thoughts about it. We are focused now on letting the court process wrap up."
Meanwhile, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik spoke about the settlement during a briefing on Monday.
“Beyond this settlement, I want to take a moment to reflect on the shooting death of Mr. Walker,” said Malik. “The video that we saw brought significant pain and trauma across our community. I said then, and I say now again, that we need systemic changes to our policing system – to improve policy, practices, training, and culture – to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid tragic incidents, to make sure our community sees the policing that is effective, accountable, and treats people with dignity and respect.”