The City of Akron has agreed to pay nearly $5 million to the family of Jayland Walker, who was shot and killed by police in 2022.
The city will pay $4,850,000 in four installments over the next four years as part of a settlement agreement, according to a joint statement released Monday from city officials and Walker’s family.
“We need systemic changes to our policing system,” Mayor Shammas Malik said during a Monday news conference, “to improve policy practices, training and culture, to ensure that we do everything we can, to avoid tragic incidents.”
Walker’s family sued the city and police department in June 2023, initially requesting $45 million – $1 million for each bullet that hit Walker, according to the legal team. Walker’s autopsy revealed he was wounded or grazed at least 46 times in the June 2022 incident, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office.
A grand jury declined to indict the eight officers who shot Walker on any charges the following year.
Walker’s death ignited protests and police reform efforts in the city, including the creation of a civilian police oversight board.
Malik’s office will continue to work with the community to examine and improve police department procedures, officials said in the Monday release.
“The Malik administration has prioritized ongoing dialogue and engagement between city leaders and the community, including the Walker family, to examine policies and procedures and make improvements where needed for the safety of all residents,” officials said in the statement.
The city will work with outside experts to reexamine the police department’s use-of-force policy, Malik announced during a news conference.
Officials plan to work with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing, he said. This office recently assisted the Columbus Police Department with their use-of-force policy review, Malik said.
“I believe the systemic change that we want, and frankly, we need, to see in our department requires external assistance to make sure we get it right and also that our community feels they can trust results,” Malik added.
Officials have also enlisted the help of Spencer Fomby from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to examine and improve the police department’s crowd control policy, Malik added.
In July, the city settled a lawsuit over the police department’s use of chemical agents on citizens protesting a grand jury’s decision not to indict the officers involved in the Walker shooting. As part of the settlement agreement, the police department was instructed to create better procedures for responding to peaceful protests.
Fomby is a 22-year law enforcement veteran and has been a use-of-force instructor for 15 years, Malik said.
“We are also going to be including community voice and community engagement as part of that process,” Malik added.
Earlier this year, the police department also changed its pursuit policy in light of Walker’s death. The department will no longer pursue vehicles for equipment violations alone, such as a broken taillight, he said.
The chase was initiated because Walker did not stop when an officer attempted to pull him over for a minor traffic violation, according to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
