AKRON, Ohio — News 5 is getting a more in-depth look at the questions state investigators asked Jayland Walker’s mother and sister just days after Akron police shot and killed him last June.
News 5 Investigators have been digging through audio recordings and other records released by the Ohio Attorney General’s office Monday after a special grand jury declined to indict the eight officers who pulled their triggers.
Special Agent Cory Momchilov called Walker’s sister, Jada, and their mother, Pamela, joined the conversation two days after Walker was killed.
The agent made it clear he was doing a criminal investigation of the officers and not of Walker but had questions about his state of mind.
“I’m serving as the lead investigator into the death of your brother,” Momchilov said.
Momchilov first offered his condolences and then asked how they were doing. Jada Walker said both she and her mother are very overwhelmed, and they would love to get to the bottom of this and get the justice her brother deserves.
The investigator says he knew Walker had no criminal record.
‘I’m trying to piece together what would have caused him to run or something along those lines,” Momchilov said.
Jada says her brother always had a good head on his shoulders. His mother said he was a good kid, and this was not in his nature.
They last spoke with him that Sunday, hours before the shooting and said he did not mention the pursuit in New Franklin, and his plan was to Doordash for the day.
“Did you know if he ever carried a gun, had a gun or bought a gun,” Momchilov said.
Both replied no, that he never carried a gun.
The state released surveillance video from an Akron gun store and range and a receipt showing on June 20, Walker bought a handgun a week before Akron police killed him.
Records also show a receipt from June 7, Walker and a friend signed waivers to use the range.
His sister said Walker lived with his fiance, who was in a car crash in late May last year.
“Was he depressed at all because of his fiance’s death,” Momchilov asked.
The investigator wanted to know if Walker commented about being upset or suicidal or was talking to a counselor.
They said no.
Jada told the special agent she could only imagine what goes through someone’s mind like that when they lose their significant other or, in this case, a soul mate.
On June 27, 2022, eight Akron officers fired 94 shots as Walker ran from his car wearing a ski mask.
Walker was hit 46 times.
On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson answered questions about whether they thought this was "suicide by cop."
Pierson says they don’t have any direct, clear evidence of that.
“By all accounts, this was a good man, a good person with no prior criminal record, so he was not acting himself. But other than that, I’m not willing to make a leap as to his intentions on that night,” Pierson said.
Yost also responded.
“Having reviewed it, I would hesitate to say conclusively that this was that was his motivation,” Yost said.
Walker’s sister and mother had questions of their own for the special agent on June 29 of last year.
But the agent told them he couldn’t get into anything specific since he was investigating the officers and whether what they did was legal.
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