The long-standing legal battle surrounding the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker by Akron police officers may soon be drawing to a close. A tentative settlement has been reached in the federal lawsuit brought by Walker's family against the city of Akron. Details of the settlement have not yet been made public. Still, both parties are readying to finalize the agreement, which is expected to be presented in court within the upcoming month, according to a recent joint court filing obtained by WKYC.
However, Walker's attorney, Bobby DiCello, urges caution, advising that the talk of a formal settlement is still "premature." He explained that various procedural steps must be fully completed before the settlement is finalized, such as obtaining the federal judge's authorization. DiCello told WKYC that a news conference will be held to discuss the settlement if it is finalized.
The roots of the lawsuit stretch back to June 22, when a vehicle pursuit ended in eight Akron police officers shooting Walker, who was ultimately struck by over 40 bullets from the more than 90 fired by officers, as investigation reports indicated. Although a firearm was later found in Walker's vehicle, which he reportedly fired at police during the chase, he was not armed at the collision's climax. Despite this fact, a grand jury declined to indict any officers involved. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated that since the officers did not know Walker had left the gun in his car, they were justified in their use of deadly force in response to the earlier threat.
Walker's family lodged the wrongful death lawsuit nearly a year after the tragedy, seeking $45 million in damages, reflecting the symbolism of one million dollars for each bullet that struck him. The suit aimed not only at the eight officers directly involved in the shooting but also implicated Akron's former Mayor, Dan Horrigan, former Police Chief Steve Mylett, and five high-ranking police officials. As reported by Signal Akron, settlement talks have been in the works for multiple months.
Akron has taken steps to amend its police policies after the incident. Under the guidance of the new Mayor, Shammas Malik, policies have shifted to no longer allow vehicle chases to ensue based solely on equipment violations. This policy change is notable, considering that Walker's initial pursuit of his car was prompted by an infraction and a broken tail light, and he had been involved in a similar chase the previous night. In addition, Akron voters have passed a measure to establish a new Citizens' Police Oversight Board, which is designed to review police use-of-force incidences and examine internal investigations. Nonetheless, it stops short of having the authority to carry out parallel investigations to those conducted internally by the department.
