The eight Akron, Ohio police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker have been reinstated to active duty.
According to reports, Steve Mylett, the Akron Police Chief stated that the reinstatement went into effect due to being short staffed. Reports also state that the officers will not be on patrol but will “provide internal support in non-uniforms roles until the investigation (of the shooting ) is complete.”
Mylett revealed that he and other leaders spoke with community leaders before bringing the officers back. “We recognize that this decision will cause concern for the Walker family and the community, and we are sensitive to those concerns,” Mylett said in a news release.
On June 27th, Walker was reportedly involved in a police chase during a traffic stop and then tried to escape on foot. Eight officers drew their guns, hitting the 27-year-old 46 times. The police claim that he reached for his waist but would later find out that Walker was unarmed when he was shot. However, a gun and wedding ring were recovered in the passenger seat of Walker’s car.
The decision to bring back the officers involved in this tragedy was met with a lot of criticism by a community group from Northeast, Ohio called Freedom Bloc. “This is unacceptable and our community is outraged,” the group said.
They continued, “Instead of being held accountable, these eight police officers, shielded by anonymity, continue to get paid under the same department in which they were allowed to shoot and murder a Black man without repercussion.”
They added, “This is not justice for Jayland Walker. This is a flagrant injustice to Jayland, to his family, to our community, and to Black and brown people who are continuously harmed, abused, and killed by those sworn to serve and protect us.”
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