By The New York Times (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-22 03:43:24 | Updated at 2024-10-22 06:44:17
3 hours ago
U.S.|Jayland Walker’s Family Settles With Akron for $4.8 Million Over Police Shooting
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/21/us/jayland-walker-family-akron-ohio-settlement.html
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The family had filed a lawsuit against the Ohio city and its police department after Mr. Walker was fatally shot by eight police officers in 2022.
Oct. 21, 2024, 11:25 p.m. ET
The family of a Black man who was fatally shot by eight police officers after an attempted traffic stop in Ohio in 2022 settled a wrongful-death lawsuit with the city of Akron for $4.8 million, the mayor’s office announced on Monday.
The family of the man, Jayland Walker, 25, filed a federal lawsuit seeking at least $45 million in damages against the city of Akron and its police department, including the eight officers, in June 2023. The lawsuit claimed that the officers used excessive force when they fatally shot Mr. Walker.
The statement from the office of Mayor Shammas Malik said the city’s vehicle pursuit policy has been updated after a review, and that talks continue with the Walker family and the community on more changes.
Mr. Walker was fatally shot by eight Akron Police Department officers after an attempted traffic stop on June 27, 2022, that led to a chase when Mr. Walker did not pull over. Officials from the attorney general’s office later said that the officers shot at Mr. Walker after he fired at least one shot at them from his vehicle.
The officers fired more than 90 shots at Mr. Walker, who sustained more than 40 gunshot wounds, according to the Ohio attorney general’s office. The shooting prompted a series of protests across Akron, a city of nearly 200,000 people that is south of Cleveland in northeastern Ohio, and drew fierce scrutiny of the Akron Police Department.
The family of Mr. Walker and the city of Akron filed a joint status report on Oct. 15, informing the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio that they had reached a settlement.
