Family of Jayland Walker, 25-year-old shot dead by police, reaches $4.85 million settlement with Akron

By CNN Newsource

Published October 21, 2024 9:58 AM

By Polo Sandoval and Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — The family of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man fatally shot by police in Akron, Ohio, in June 2022, has reached a $4.85 million settlement with the city of Akron in a federal lawsuit over Walker’s death.

The city of Akron announced the settlement in a Monday news release released jointly with the Walker family, which noted the settlement will be paid out to the family over four installments over the next four years.

“Akron should be a place where everyone is safe,” the news release said. “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 city government is working to “examine policies and procedures and make improvements where needed for the safety of all residents,” according to the release.

“The settlement involves more than a dollar amount but some very important policy changes as well,” said the Walker family’s attorney Bobby DiCello. He told CNN the Walker family plans to publicly address the settlement in the coming days.

The family had originally sought $45 million in the lawsuit, “$1 million for each bullet that struck Jayland Walker,” according to the complaint.

Walker, a DoorDash driver, fled an attempted traffic stop for a broken license plate light on June 27, first in his car and then on foot, according to officials. Eight police officers chased after and shot at him. He was unarmed when he was killed. An autopsy revealed he suffered 46 gunshot wounds or graze injuries in under 7 seconds, according to Dr. Lisa Kohler, the county medical examiner.

Walker’s death prompted an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as well as weeks of protests over racial injustice and police use of force, particularly against Black Americans.

Despite the furor over the shooting, a grand jury declined to charge the eight police officers involved, finding the officers were legally justified in using deadly force against Walker. The officers were initially placed on paid administrative leave and then reinstated.

Officers said Walker fired a gun from his vehicle during the car chase and a gun was found in his vehicle after the shooting, a detail Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said was “critical to remember” when examining the grand jury’s decision.

Officers also said after fleeing on foot, Walker turned toward them and reached toward his waist, making them think he was reaching for a weapon, according to Yost.

An internal review by the police department found the officers did not violate Akron policy and determined none of the officers involved would be disciplined or released from duty.

Walker’s family filed a federal lawsuit in June 2023, a year after the fatal shooting. The civil complaint said officers used excessive force against Walker and claims there is a “culture of violence and racism at the City of Akron’s Police Department.”

“This lawsuit is way bigger than Jayland Walker,” DiCello, the family’s attorney, said last year. “This has been a systemic failure. Policing in Akron has been an abomination.”

The city has implemented several changes to its policing practices since the killing. In April, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced police would no longer conduct vehicle chases for minor equipment violations, according to CNN affiliate WOIO.

And just months after the shooting, Akron residents voted to establish a nine-member Citizens’ Police Oversight Board. The board’s stated goal is to “improve police and community relations through external and independent review of local policing practices.”