AKRON, Ohio — The daily press conferences with Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett that were announced earlier this month to provide updates in the shooting death of Jayland Walker will transition to only take place on an as-needed basis.
That announcement was made during Monday morning's press conference, which comes one week after the briefings began.
Also announced during Monday's press conference was the city's plan to implement a citizen review board.
“This is something that our community has been talking about for quite some time now," said Akron City Council President Margo Sommerville.
She said it's believed "this is the best pathway forward" for the community.
“The board will provide an independent community voice to the mayor, city council and also the chief of police in reviewing citizen complaints of the Akron police officers, analyzing public safety patterns and trends related to those complaints and regularly engaging with the community," Sommerville added.
Monday's press conference comes after Mayor Horrigan signed an order to lift the downtown curfew Sunday morning. The curfew had been in place for days after the city released body camera footage showing the moment Walker was shot and killed by police.
You can watch Monday's complete press conference in the player below:
Mayor Horrigan did not have a press conference on Friday as the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office provided an update that listed dozens of gunshot wounds to Walker’s body as follows:
- 17 gunshot wounds injured the pelvis and upper legs, causing internal injury to the right iliac artery (a major artery going to the leg), the bladder and fractures to the pelvis and both upper leg bones (femurs).
- 15 gunshot wounds injured the torso, and caused internal injury to his heart, lungs, liver, spleen, left kidney, intestines and multiple ribs.
- One bullet struck the face and fractured the jaw.
- Eight gunshot wounds injured the arms and right hand.
- Five gunshot wounds injured the knees, right lower leg and right foot.
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on July 15, 2022.
Walker, who was laid to rest last Wednesday, was shot and killed three weeks ago on June 27 when eight Akron police officers opened fire amid an overnight chase. Police say Walker had fired a shot at one point during the vehicle pursuit, but was unarmed at the time officers opened fire as the chase continued on foot. A gun was later found in Walker's vehicle, according to police.
Previous Reporting: