AKRON, Ohio — Two people who have connections to unrelated police shootings in other states were both arrested in Akron amid ongoing protests regarding the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker.
Records from Akron Municipal Court show Jacob Blake of Winston Salem, North Carolina, and Bianca Austin of Louisville, Kentucky, are facing multiple counts – including riot, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.
Austin is the aunt of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in a March 2020 police shooting in Louisville. Blake is the father of Jacob Blake, who was left partially paralyzed following an August 2020 police shooting in Wisconsin.
Protests in Akron have been taking place in recent days following the police department’s release of body camera footage that shows the moment eight officers shot and killed 25-year-old Jayland Walker following a chase last week.
Walker’s death is currently under investigation.
"The investigation will be objective, professional, and independent," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost pledged in a statement Wednesday. "There are many questions about what happened. Was the force necessary? What led police to shoot a young man so many times? What could have been done to prevent this in the first place?"
Akron City Council also addressed the investigation with a statement Thursday.
“Along with the Walker family, we seek justice in this case with the understanding that justice will only come because of a searching investigation of all the facts. That means we must await the results of the independent BCI investigation. We must find the strength to exercise patience and preserve peace amid the pain that we are all experiencing and allow for BCI’s review to be completed.”
You can read the full statement from Akron City Council HERE.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE WALKER SHOOTING:
- RELATED: Northeast Ohio religious leaders call for 'full investigation of police' after deadly shooting of Jayland Walker in Akron
- RELATED: ‘Find the strength to exercise patience and preserve peace’: Akron City Council amid investigation of Jayland Walker police shooting
- RELATED: President Joe Biden says U.S. Justice Department is monitoring investigation into Jayland Walker's death
- RELATED: Akron officials release new details and bodycam footage from deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker