What does a 'no-bill' mean from grand jury in Jayland Walker case?

Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·2 min read
A courthouse employee makes their way into the grand jury room at the Summit County Courthouse on March 28,.
A courthouse employee makes their way into the grand jury room at the Summit County Courthouse on March 28,.

A special Summit County grand jury declined to charge the eight officers who shot and killed Jayland Walker on Monday by issuing a "no-bill."

A grand jury decides if people should be indicted with crimes and face a trial with a regular jury to determine their guilt or innocence. If the nine grand jurors decline to file an indictment, they return a “no-bill.”

At least seven of the nine grand jurors must approve any indictment.

A "no-bill" doesn’t prohibit the prosecutor from seeking an indictment from another grand jury, such as in a case if additional evidence is discovered.

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What happened to Jayland Walker?

Eight Akron officers fatally shot Walker 46 times on June 27 after he led officers on a crosstown car chase, during which police say the 25-year-old Black man fired a single shot from his vehicle. Walker was unarmed and running in a ski mask when he was shot after a short foot chase near Wilbeth and South Main. A handgun was found in his vehicle, police said.

Akron’s police union defended the officers’ action as consistent with their training, while Walker’s family decried his death as senseless and said he was not a criminal. Walker’s fiancée died in a traffic crash weeks earlier.

The incident has become the subject of protests, the creation of a new police review board, plans for new cruiser dashcams and strained relations between Akron’s police and citizens.

Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to complete an independent criminal investigation. The officers were put on leave following Walker's death but were reinstated to desk duty in October.

Summit County’s first-ever special grand jury convened April 10 to hear prosecutors from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office present BCI’s findings.

Akron police also will conduct a separate internal investigation to determine if any department regulations were violated by the officers.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jayland Walker case in Akron: What does 'no-bill' mean?