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By Kathy Wray Coleman, associated publisher, editor
AKRON, Ohio- On the heels of a no indictment by a Summit County grand jury in a case where eight Akron cops who gunned down 25-year old Jayland Walker shooting 94 bullets as he ran away from police escaped criminal charges, Akron voters on Tuesday chose a new mayor to lead the city of some 190,000 people
A Harvard graduate and first term councilman, Shammas Malik (pictured), 32, was elected the presumptive mayor of Akron in a seven-way, all Democratic nonpartisan primary race, according to unofficial results from the Summit County Board of Elections. And if nobody files to run in the November election, he will run unopposed.
"Change is coming," Malik said during a campaign watch party before supporters and family members, and the media He also said that safety and youth violence will be a priority during his tenure as mayor.
Malik won with 43.2% of the vote followed by Akron Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs Marco Sommerville, who got 25.7% . Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley came in third with 17.5% of the vote and the remaining candidates each received less than eight% of the vote.
Akron's current mayor Dan horrigan, mayor since 2016, did not seek reelection.
How the new minority mayor, a millennia who is of Pakistani and Irish decent. will address the fallout in the Jayland Walker case remains to be seen.
Last month a largely White, majority female county grand jury issued what is called a no bill after determining that the shooting death was justified and that criminal charges were not warranted.The tragic killing by police of the young Black man from Akron who had no criminal record has drawn national attention to the city that is some 30 miles southeast of Cleveland and the hometown of NBA megastar and Los Angeles Laker LeBron James
The police shooting incident in question occurred following a car and foot chase and traffic stop in June of 2022. No gun was found on Walker's person but police say they later found a gun in his car, and that he allegedly shot at them before jumping out of the car and taking off on foot. Walker family attorney Bobby DiCello disagrees with the grand jury decision, and was livid with the grand jury's decision not to indict police.
Here's what police and city officials say led up to the police shooting death of Jayland Walker, much of it at odds with what attorneys for the Walker family say allegedly happened
According to the Akron Police Department, at about 12:30 a.m. on June 27, police in Akron attempted to stop Walker for an unspecified traffic violation. Walker did not stop and a chase ensued. The pursuing officers say gunfire came from the vehicle less than a minute into the chase. After several minutes, Walker exited the highway and the chase continued along city streets.
Eventually, Walker's car slowed down, and while the car was still moving, Walker exited from the passenger's side, wearing a ski mask, and ran towards a nearby parking lot. Officers chased Walker and attempted to stop him with a stun gun but were not successful. After about ten seconds of chasing Walker, eight police officers opened fire for six or seven seconds, shooting approximately 94 rounds. Police said that it appeared Walker was turning towards them, and they believed he was armed and "moving into a firing position, a claim the Walker family attorneys dispute
Following the shooting, Walker was put in handcuffs by police and was found with his hands cuffed behind his back when EMTs arrived on the scene. According to police, officers attempted to administer first aid to Walker after he was shot Walker was pronounced dead at the scene. Police claim that a wedding band was found in Walker's car and that Walker may have been acting erratically because he had just lost his fiance in an unrelated car accident Community activists and the Walker family attorneys dispute such assertions and contend that they are nothing but a cover up for a police shooting gone wrong, and that the entire scenario is indicative of a lack of police training and excessive force.
The medical examiner observed 60 wounds on Walker's body, with some uncertainty based on entrance and exit wounds.No firearm was found on Walker's body.The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Walker's death a homicide.
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