Names of Akron officers involved in Jayland Walker's shooting included in state records

The names of the eight Akron officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker, which haven’t officially been released, can be found in state investigative documents related to the shooting.

Though the names were redacted in most of the documents released by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, they were visible in slides shown during the attorney general’s press conference Monday and in records that were part of the voluminous investigative file.

The Attorney General’s Office released records related to the investigation Monday afternoon after a special grand jury in Summit County Common Pleas Court returned a no-bill, which means the officers won’t face criminal charges.

Steve Irwin, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said his office published hundreds of case files within hours of the grand jury’s decision “so the public could see the investigation.”

“We are constantly reviewing our procedures to make the process more efficient,” he said.

A recording of the attorney general’s press conference was removed from Facebook and some records were taken off the Attorney General’s website, including at least two that contained officers’ names.

'They didn't sign up for this,' Akron chief says

Akron Chief Steve Mylett reiterated this week that he won’t release the officers’ names because of concerns for their safety and threats that have been made against officers.

“I have a responsibility to ensure the safety of my employees,” Mylett said in an interview Tuesday with the Beacon Journal. “They have a right to be safe. So does their family, as you do, as everybody else. They didn't sign up for that.”

More: Akron police chief: 'Nothing is jumping out' yet as policy violation in Jayland Walker case

The FBI told the police department not long after Walker’s shooting that death threats had been made against Akron officers.

More: Resignations, shortages and safety: Akron Police face challenges after officer-involved incidents

Threatening message mailed to officers' homes

Mylett also pointed to a new threat mailed to the homes of at least four Akron officers in the past week.

A message sent to Clay Cozart, the Akron FOP president, featured photos of Mylett and Walker, with a message at the top that said: “We expect the grand to respond in favor of the 8. We don’t care about down. Before the end of the years 16 blue badges will have to pay like Mr. W. Semper fi.”

Three other officers, one retired and two still working, received similar messages. One included a picture of the retired officer who was sent the message.

Lt. Michael Miller, an Akron police spokesman, said the department is investigating the threats and trying to determine who sent them.

“It definitely has our attention,” he said.

Cozart said he thinks the message implies that 16 Akron officers will die like Walker this year. He said this is concerning not just for officers but also for their families.

“You can’t be by your family’s side 24-7,” Cozart said. “You have to go to work. That’s what we’re most concerned about.”

Cozart said he isn’t sure how the person who sent the messages chose which officers to target.

The retired officer, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls, filed a police report.

Cuyahoga Falls Chief Jack Davis said his office is coordinating with Akron on the investigation. He said the messages are particularly alarming because they were sent to officers’ homes.

“It’s obviously very disturbing,” he said. “You realize you got into a public job. You like to think that your home is still your home.”

Ohio Supreme Court accepts names lawsuit

The Beacon Journal sued the city in the Ohio Supreme Court in November, challenging the decision not to release the officers’ names. The Supreme Court accepted the case Wednesday and provided deadlines for each side to file written briefs.

Akron Beacon Journal Editor Michael Shearer said editors will continue to evaluate whether to publish the names.

“As we stated months ago, we sought the officers' names to more fully investigate their backgrounds and any past uses of force that may be of concern to the community,” he said. “We will now be able to more fully embark on that process."

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj. Beacon Journal report Jennifer Pignolet contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Names of Akron officers involved in shooting found in state records