The mayor of Akron, Ohio, enforced a curfew for the town’s downtown house on Monday as demonstrators took the streets to protest the police killing of 25-year-old Jayland Walker.
In a press unlock, Mayor Dan Horrigan accused protesters of destroying assets and committing acts of violence throughout Monday’s demonstrations.
“As evening fell and others started to enroll in, the protests was not non violent,” Horrigan stated. “There was once vital assets injury achieved to downtown Akron. Small companies up and down Primary St. have had their home windows damaged. We can not and won’t tolerate violence or the destruction of assets.”
Horrigan declared a state of emergency for Akron and canceled a Fourth of July fireworks birthday party whilst enforcing a curfew.
Horrigan stated he’ll elevate the curfew on Wednesday morning so that you can “toughen all those that are peacefully protesting.”
“I plan to boost the curfew in our downtown footprint beginning the following day,” Horrigan stated in a press remark on Tuesday. “As all the time, public protection stays our most sensible precedence and I encourage our neighborhood to record any circumstances or threats of violence or destruction in order that a small workforce of agitators does no longer motive additional injury to our town and small companies.”
The protests in downtown Akron came about after regulation enforcement launched frame digital camera pictures on Sunday of 8 officials capturing Walker on June 27 after he attempted to escape the scene of a site visitors forestall. Legislation enforcement couldn’t verify how time and again Walker was once shot, however in keeping with post-mortem stories, he had over 60 gunshot wounds on his frame.
The 8 officials concerned are recently on administrative go away whilst an investigation is underway. The probe is being treated via the Ohio Bureau of Prison Investigation, the Ohio legal professional common’s place of business, and Akron’s interior affairs division.