Two family members of Black people shot by police officers have been arrested after protesting the police killing of Jayland Walker, in Akron, Ohio.
Bianca Austin, aunt of Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake, father of Jacob Blake, are facing a number of charges related to the protests, including disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and riot, WKYC-TV reported.
In March 2020, plainclothes cops knocked and entered Taylor’s apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, then shot and killed her. Blake was shot by a Kenosha, Wisconsin officer and paralyzed from the waist down in August 2020.
On June 30, Walker, 25, allegedly fled from police following a traffic stop and was wounded when eight officers shot him. Autopsy reports later showed he suffered over 60 gunshot wounds.
According to officials, Walker, who was Black, was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Eight officers have been placed on paid administrative leave. The death is currently under investigation.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released a statement on Wednesday that said the investigation would be “objective, professional and independent,” WKYC-TV reported.
“There are many questions about what happened,” Yost added. “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 has issued curfews in the wake of the demonstrations over Walker’s slaying.