Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan plans to lift the curfew on the city’s downtown area Wednesday morning. The curfew remains in effect Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. through Wednesday at 6 a.m.
“Citizens have a right to make their voices heard, and I fully support that,” Horrigan said in a Tuesday press release. “The community respected the curfew which we put in place last night and did not further damage our downtown corridor. I expect tonight to be the same.”
The University of Akron, which falls within the curfew's borders, plans to return to regular operations Wednesday. Buildings will be open and class schedules will return to normal.
Horrigan issued a state of emergency curfew order shortly after midnight Sunday after protests turned violent following the release of body camera video in the police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker. Peaceful demonstrations Sunday afternoon escalated overnight.
According to police, damage in downtown Akron included smashed windows, a dumpster fire and other smaller fires. Police used tear gas during the overnight demonstrations, according to reporters at the scene. A department news release Monday said officers “deployed a chemical irritant to prevent further rioting and property damage.”
Some 50 people were charged with rioting, failure to disperse and misconduct during an emergency, according to the release.
Walker, a Black man, was shot by Akron police following a car chase in the early hours of Monday, June 27. Eight officers shot him after he exited his car. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s office found more than 60 gunshot wounds on Walker’s body.
Walker's family has repeatedly called for demonstrations to remain peaceful.
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