'We must not normalize this': Hundreds attend funeral for Jayland Walker after Akron, Ohio, police killing

AKRON, Ohio – Hundreds mourned the loss of Jayland Walker, a Black man shot about 60 times by police, during a funeral service Wednesday, which was declared a citywide day of mourning after days of protests over his death.

Hundreds of people, including many of Walker’s relatives, passed his open casket during a viewing Wednesday morning at the Akron Civic Theatre in the heart of downtown where police and protesters have clashed during several demonstrations. Mourners shared stories of the 25-year-old, and many echoed sad and angry sentiments about Walker's death, another killing that has led to national rallying cries for police reform.

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The family's decision to show Walker’s body during funeral services reminded some of the choice by Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, in 1955 that helped galvanize the national civil rights movement. Those in attendance said Walker's body was prepared for the open-casket viewing but some evidence of his wounds remained.

Till,14, was kidnapped, tortured and lynched by two white men after he was accused of offending a white woman in Mississippi. His mother insisted on an open casket, so the world could see what happened to her son. The images of his body rocked the country. 

"Mamie Till-Mobley opened a casket and opened our eyes. She made sure we could never look away again. This was the first Black Lives Matter moment, inspiring a mass movement, and that is why people point to this courageous act as an example today of what we can do to activate people," Christopher Benson, president of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, told USA TODAY.

He said there was nothing "more impacting" for others than "actually seeing evidence of racial atrocity."

Police body cameras showed Akron officers shooting Walker about 60 times after a car and foot chase June 27. The city blurred images of Walker's body when releasing the footage during a news conference July 3.

He wasn’t armed when he was shot, but authorities said Walker, 25, fired a shot from his car 40 seconds into the chase. The police footage shows Walker wearing a ski mask, jumping out of the front passenger door of his moving car, then running into a parking lot.

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'I'm never going to forget him'

Wednesday's services were filled with prayer, stories of Walker and music. Men and women sang on a brightly lit stage in the otherwise dark theater, flanked by large photos of Walker.

Walker’s loved ones remembered him as a dedicated friend and an affectionate son and grandson who was “always looking to make you smile.”

Bishop Timothy Clarke, a Columbus pastor and the national head of the Church of God, said Walker was taken from the world too soon.

"We must not normalize this," Clarke said. "We cannot make the deaths of our sons and daughters at such an early age a normal thing. ... This is not all right!"

Speakers encouraged mourners to vote and thanked peaceful demonstrators for speaking out against Walker’s death.

“This is exhausting. But I tell you what – we’re here until the end. We’re going to keep on pushing. We’re going to keep on fighting. We’re going to keep on lifting up our voices,” Pastor Robert DeJournett said during the services.

Walker’s best friend, Dupri Whatley, shared memories of growing up together, playing basketball and listening to music. Whatley, a Summit County sheriff's deputy, said he called Walker all the time for advice. He said he wouldn’t be where he is without his friend.

“He’s going to live through me,” Whatley said, choking up throughout his remarks. “I’m never going to forget him.”

About 20 people, some armed with semi-automatic rifles, came to Akron for the service. The unarmed people went inside, and armed members stayed on the sidewalk outside the theater. A few attendees wore shirts that read, “Black Lives Matter” or “Zero Threat, Zero Violence, Justice for Jayland.”

Tashe Ase, who lives in Akron, said she attended the services because she wanted to see with her own eyes "the injustice that happened in our city."

"This is a fear that I have, that police will shoot my boys," said Ase, 42.

Ase is a former activist and founding member of a group started years ago called Stop the Violence in Akron. She said Walker's shooting reinvigorated her desire to get involved.

Inside the viewing, Ase said the mood was somber. "You can feel the spirit of mourning."

Contributing: Grace Hauck and Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Jayland Walker, killed by Akron, Ohio police, mourned at funeral