The family of Jayland Walker, a 24-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by Akron police officers in November 2020, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Akron and the officers involved in the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that the officers used excessive force and violated Walker’s civil rights.
According to the lawsuit, Walker was sitting in his car in a parking lot when he was approached by Akron police officers. The officers claimed that they smelled marijuana and asked Walker to step out of the car. When he did not comply, the officers attempted to remove him from the car. The lawsuit alleges that the officers used excessive force, including punching and kicking Walker, before shooting him multiple times.
The lawsuit also alleges that the officers did not have probable cause to search Walker’s car or use force against him. The family is seeking damages for wrongful death, excessive force, and violations of Walker’s civil rights.
The shooting of Jayland Walker is just one example of the ongoing issue of police brutality and excessive force against Black people in the United States. According to a database maintained by The Washington Post, police officers in the United States have fatally shot more than 1,000 people each year since 2015. Black people are disproportionately represented in these numbers, accounting for 28% of those killed by police despite making up only 13% of the population.
The lawsuit filed by the Walker family is part of a larger movement to hold police officers accountable for their actions and bring about systemic change in law enforcement. In recent years, there have been widespread protests and calls for police reform following high-profile cases of police brutality, including the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
In response to these calls for change, some cities and states have implemented reforms such as banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, requiring body cameras for police officers, and creating civilian oversight boards to investigate police misconduct. However, many activists and advocates argue that these reforms do not go far enough and that more systemic change is needed to address the root causes of police brutality and racial injustice.
The lawsuit filed by the Walker family is just one step in the fight for justice and accountability for victims of police brutality. It is a reminder that the fight for racial justice and equality is ongoing and that we must continue to push for systemic change in our institutions and society as a whole.
