Residents and activists in Akron took to the churches and to the streets Tuesday to demand justice for Jayland Walker after a special grand jury chose not to indict the eight police officers involved in his fatal shooting.
Warning — strong language in videos.
Earlier today
About 200 people met at the First Congregational Church before beginning a march through the streets of Akron. Organizers spoke, sharing their frustration with the grand jury's decision.
"We need to address, as a community, in Akron, Ohio, and we need to ask this question everywhere we go - are we going to have a future together? Are we going to have a future together? Because by not giving us justice you're saying we can't. That's what the administration is saying right now," said DaMerio Cooper, Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy.
The march wound its way about a half-mile through the streets of Akron to the federal courthouse. The march was well-organized, orderly and peaceful.
The protesters returned to the church afterward.
Monday protests
On Monday, after the attorney general announced that officers would not be indicted, some protesters marched in the streets while others formed a roaming caravan of vehicles. Akron Police said six people were arrested Monday night, mostly related to that caravan.
RELATED: Akron Police make protest-related arrests following Jayland Walker grand jury decision
City braced for protests
Days prior to the decision from the grand jury, businesses and government buildings in Akron were boarded up, and barricades were put in place.
Walker was shot and killed on June 27, 2022, after a car and foot chase. The 25-year-old was shot more than 40 times by eight officers. Walker was unarmed during the shooting, but police said he shot at pursuing cruisers from his car. A gun was found in the vehicle.
