The city of Akron has issued a curfew after protests sparked by the police shooting of Jayland Walker turned destructive overnight Sunday to Monday.
Walker, 25, died early Monday after he was shot numerous times by eight Akron police officers after an attempted traffic stop led to a police pursuit, police said.
The curfew, announced Sunday, will be in place from 9 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m., according to a media release from the city.
The curfew will be in effect daily until the city issues another order lifting it, the release said. For the purposes of this order, the city defines downtown as south and east of state Route 59, north of Interstates 76 and 77 and west of Route 8. The area includes the University of Akron campus.
View a map here.
The curfew excludes emergency workers and law enforcement personnel and those heading to and from work, seeking medical care or fleeing from dangerous circumstances, the release said.
Further protests continued Monday afternoon, according to social media posts.
The fireworks displays that were scheduled in downtown Akron, the Patterson Park Sports Complex and the Akron Fulton airport have been cancelled, according to the city.
Due to the curfew, Akron METRO announced it will suspend service in downtown Akron after 8 p.m.
RIDER ALERT!!!
— METRO RTA (@AkronMETROBus) July 4, 2022
Due to the imposed 9 p.m. curfew for Monday, July 4, 2022 in downtown Akron, ALL METRO services will end with the 8 p.m. outbound trips from the Transit Center. We appreciate your patience. pic.twitter.com/WPOWRBEjh8
The curfew was announced after protests that had been peaceful during the day Sunday, after police released bodycam footage of Walker's death, turned destructive, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a statement. Vandals damaged property in downtown Akron and broke windows of small businesses on Main Street.
Horrigan thanked protestors who assembled downtown during the day and said he supported the rights of the public to assemble peacefully, but said the city would not tolerate violence or destructive behavior.
“In light of the damage that has occurred and in order to preserve peace in our community,” he said in a statement, “I have declared a state of emergency, implemented a curfew and canceled the fireworks which were scheduled for tonight.”
The Walker family has repeatedly called for peace via their attorneys.
