AKRON, Ohio — In addition to announcing that a grand jury had decided not to indict the Akron police officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker, the Ohio Attorney General's office provided new details about the final hours of Walker's life during a Monday briefing.
According to Attorney General Dave Yost, evidence collected by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation included more than 100 interviews, including with each of the eight officers who fired their weapons during the incident. It also included evidence collected through multiple search warrants, subpoenas, body cam footage, dash-camera video, surveillance video, police reports and an autopsy of Walker's body.
As 3News Investigates reported last year, the tragic circumstances surrounding Jayland Walker's death began a month earlier, when Jaymeisha Beasley, his high school sweetheart and fiancée, died in a violent car crash on May 28 in Warren County.
The Ohio Attorney General's office noted that based on evidence gathered and family member interviews, Jayland Walker was having a difficult time dealing with Beasley's death. Here are some examples:
--On May 30 and again on June 10, Jayland Walker's Google account searched "What happens when you drink bleach?" Also on June 10, Walker's Google account searched "quickest ways to die."
--Six days later, Walker sent a text message to Jaymeisha Beasley's phone that read, "Please come back I love you so much I need you Beautiful Baby.”
--On June 20, Walker purchased a gun at Range USA in Akron. Investigators determined that it was gun used to fire on police officers on the night of June 27.
Walker was involved in a police pursuit on the morning of June 26, 2022. New Franklin police in suburban Akron aborted a chase as Walker’s 2005 Buick sedan sped past the city border into Akron.
Twenty-two hours later on June 27, Akron police tried to stop Walker’s car. Like the night before, Walker fled.
But this chase was different. And far more aggressive.
Here is how the Ohio Attorney General's office logged the final hours of Walker's life:
June 26, 2022, 10:04 p.m. - Approximately two and a half hours prior to the shooting, Jayland Walker left his residence. Investigators determined that when Walker left his house, he was not working for Uber Eats, DoorDash or any other delivery or employment service. Based on Google data location records, Walker began driving around the areas of Akron, New Franklin and Green in a manner that appeared to be random. During this time, Walker did not stop at any location for a significant period of time. During this time, phone records also suggest that Walker was not attempting to visit any friends or family members.
June 26, 2022, 11:14 p.m. - Walker returned to the exact same area in New Franklin in which the pursuit occurred the morning before. Investigators say Walker actually drove by the area where the New Franklin officer was sitting stationary, when he spotted Walker's vehicle the morning prior.
June 26, 2022, 11:39 p.m. - Walker withdraws $60 from a Huntington Bank ATM on Kenmore Blvd. in Akron
June 26, 2022, 11:59 p.m. - Google location data showed Walker's cellular phone in the vicinity of the Akron Police Department. He returned to that vicinity at 12: 16 a.m.
June 27, 2022, 12:22 a.m. - Walker's vehicle is spotted by a pair of officers at the area of North Howard Street and Tallmadge Avenue. He returned to that area at approximately 12:30 a.m., which is when the pursuit began.
After the shooting, a Glock firearm with no magazine inserted in the pistol, a loaded Glock magazine and a wedding band were found on the driver seat of Walker's vehicle. Jayland Walker's sister, Jada, was later asked, “Did he [Jayland] have a wedding ring or wedding band that you recall?” Jada responded, “He did.” Special Agent Cory Momchilov replied, “Did he usually wear that all the time?” Jada responded, “Yes he did.”
You can watch the news conference from the Ohio Attorney General's Office in the player below: