Akron's mayor, police chief to begin daily briefings on Jayland Walker shooting death

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett will host daily press briefings via Zoom beginning Monday, July 11 amid continuing protests over the fatal shooting by police of Jayland Walker.

The briefings are meant to provide timely and consistent safety updates, and to more quickly relay information to both the public and the press. The press release about the new briefings included a video message from the mayor to the Akron community.

"Akron residents have valid frustrations, as do I, and anger, and I hear that," Horrigan said in the video. "What I want the community to know is that I am committed to the transparency and the community dialogue and engagement."

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The briefings will be recorded and made available daily on a new incident website the city plans to launch over the weekend.

The site will serve as a collective hub for all the information the city is releasing to the public in the fatal police shooting of Walker, which occurred June 27. It also will provide the most up-to-date safety information for downtown and beyond.

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“I know that the situation in Akron is ever-evolving, and our community needs to have the most up-to-date information as quickly as possible,” Horrigan said. “Our new dedicated site and these daily briefings will help us better commit to our promise of transparency and allow our residents to have a clearer understanding of exactly what is happening as it occurs. I know Akron is hurting right now and there are a lot of questions in our communities. The easier we can make it for everyone to access information and get answers, the better.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mayor, police chief to host daily briefings on Jayland Walker shooting