Family of Jayland Walker files federal lawsuit against Akron, Ohio, after his traffic stop death

By Polo Sandoval, CNN

(CNN) — The family of Jayland Walker, who was shot dead by eight police officers after a traffic stop last summer, is taking the city of Akron to federal court.

The 32-page civil complaint was filed Friday – about two months after a state grand jury declined to indict eight officers involved in the Ohio shooting. The suit alleges officers used excessive force in the June 27, 2022, incident and claims there is a “culture of violence and racism at the City of Akron’s Police Department.”

The family is seeking at least $45 million in damages – “$1 million for each bullet that struck Jayland Walker,” according to the suit. An autopsy by a Summit County medical examiner revealed Walker had 46 bullet wounds or graze injuries.

In addition to the city, the list of defendants include several members of the Akron Police Department. The officers who were directly involved in the shooting are listed under pseudonyms as their identities have not been officially released.

The lawsuit points to what is described as a satirical newsletter that was allegedly written by a former Akron officer. It was made public as part of reporting on a 1998 internal affairs inquiry and shared among some members of the department at the time, according to the lawsuit. Attorneys for the Walker family claim the document contained overtly racist content.

“This lawsuit is way bigger than Jayland Walker,” Bobby DiCello, an attorney for the Walker family, said Friday. “This has been a systemic failure. Policing in Akron has been an abomination.”

The city declined CNN’s request for comment, citing the pending litigation. CNN also reached out to the Akron Police Department but did not immediately hear back.

Akron community leaders plan to march in honor of Walker in Washington, DC, on July 27. Walker’s family is also reiterating calls for a federal civil rights investigation into Walker’s death and the police department.

Akron officers won’t face state criminal charges

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced in April that a state grand jury concluded the officers were legally justified in their use of deadly force against Walker.

Authorities say the shooting took place late just after midnight when police stopped a 2005 Buick for traffic and equipment violations. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Walker, drove away from police and fired a gunshot from his vehicle as they chased him, police said.

Walker got out of the vehicle wearing a ski mask and ran, which started a police chase on foot, Yost said. He said Walker ignored commands to stop and show his hands. Officers attempted to use Tasers, but Walker made a motion that officers interpreted as threatening, which led to them using legal force and opening fire, Yost said.

Walker’s death prompted an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and protests over racial injustice and police use of force. It also reignited conversations about the fear and panic many Black Americans feel during police stops.

Walker was unarmed at the time he was killed, police said, but a gun was found in his vehicle after the shooting and the ballistics of a shot recovered nearby matched the weapon, Yost said.

Eight police officers fired a total of 94 shots at Walker within 6.7 seconds, according to the investigation. Three of the officers fired 18 times each.

All eight officers were initially placed on administrative leave after the shooting, but they have since been reinstated.

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