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Press Statement July 1, 2022

​NAACP President Derrick Johnson on the Murder of Jayland Walker

Police in riot gear

"Any officers who fire 90 rounds at a Black man, for an alleged traffic violation, should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. This wasn't self-defense, it wasn't an accident in the heat of the moment, it was murder. Point blank. This Black man was killed – struck more than 60 times by 90 fired bullets – for a possible traffic violation. This doesn't happen to white people in America. Why do police continuously target us like domestic terrorists? We are just trying to live our lives, and we are tired of being hunted like prey. We know that pulling over for the police is often a death sentence. The Akron Police Department has so much blood on their hands, and placing the officers who killed Jayland Walker on paid administrative leave won't wash that blood away. Their response to this murder is disgusting. We demand justice for Jayland Walker now."

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