Bounty put on cops who shot Jayland Walker, as armed guards patrol funeral
The police officers who shot Jayland Walker reportedly have bounties placed on their heads, according to Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett. Walker, 25, was killed on June 27 after a vehicle and foot chase that followed an attempted traffic stop in Akron.
Authorities said he wasn't armed when he was shot but had fired a shot from his car 40 seconds into the vehicle chase. Less than 24 hours before the pursuit, an officer in the nearby New Franklin Township had tried to stop a car believed to be Walker's for the same equipment violations that led to the Akron chase. However, the pursuit was called off when the driver crossed the township border into Akron.
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Akron Police Chief Mylett was asked during a press conference prior to Walker's funeral why the names of the officers involved in the shooting hadn't been made public. He responded by noting that the city had a long history of not revealing the names of officers involved in shootings. "Look, the challenge right now is there's been bounties placed on police officers' heads," Mylett added, noting that it was his department's duty to protect its officers and their families.
Walker is seen in police bodycam footage, released on July 3, wearing a ski mask and jumping out of the front passenger door of a moving car before running into a parking lot. Akron has had daily anti-police protests since the release of that footage. City officials implemented a curfew between the hours of 11 pm and 5 am after warning that a roving caravan of protesters was targeting the city.
A public day of mourning was held in the city on Wednesday, July 13, the day of Walker's funeral. The service was attended by Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee. NBA superstar and Akron-native LeBron James weren't present, contrary to social media rumors. Nonetheless, hundreds of mourners gathered at the Akron Civic Theatre in Ohio, on Wednesday to commemorate Walker's life. Multiple men and women were seen standing guard outside the theater, armed with assault rifles, handguns, and knives. One man was armed with two assault-style rifles and a sheathed machete on his back, according to the Akron Beach Journal.
The group reported consisted of several members of the Fred Hampton Gun Club, a Black liberation movement group named after the assassinated Black Panthers leader of the same name. The outfit has posted several videos in recent weeks, showing members "providing security" at various protests in Akron. According to the group's Facebook page, its purpose is "to teach Black men and women how to properly protect themselves," adding, "We believe in setting up armed patrols and being able to police our own communities if possible."
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The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Chris Quinn described Chief Mylett's allegations of a bounty on officers as "apocryphal" during an appearance on the Today in Cleveland podcast. "Is it some rumor they heard, or have they got concrete evidence? That somebody out there has done that, um, to, to make a statement like that is pretty inflammatory. You should probably put some evidence behind it," Quinn insisted.