Officers were accosted by protestors Wednesday night in Akron. They were demanding justice for Jayland Walker (a Black man who was shot and killed last week during a chase). Some protesters were also arrested along with the families of victims who were shot by officers.
Bianca Austin was Breonna Taylor’s aunt and she attended the Wednesday protest. In a FaceTime interview, she revealed to CBS News correspondent Elise Preston that she was there to protest Walker’s killing two years after her niece was shot and killed by police in Kentucky.
Police detained Austin and an unidentified companion during the interview for their involvement in the protest. You could hear them asking each other what they were doing wrong. Austin was charged for riot, disorderly conduct, and failure to disperse
Jayland Walker was killed on June 27, after more than 60 shots were fired by eight officers following a foot and vehicle pursuit. The police claimed they were trying to pull Jayland Walker over for a traffic violation and equipment violation. However, an officer reported that Walker was being shot from his car.
She said that she saw Jacob Blake Sr. (the father of Jacob Blake Jr.), being taken into custody by police prior to Austin’s Wednesday arrest. On her cell phone, she recorded the entire arrest.
As Blake Sr. pleads for help, officers appear to struggle to handcuff him. After several minutes, officers lifted Blake Sr onto a stretcher to push him towards an ambulance.
Austin claimed she followed the ambulance to the hospital. Blake Sr. is still hospitalized.
He was charged with resisting arrest, riot, failure to disperse, and disorderly conduct. According to the Akron Municipal Court, he and Austin were among many demonstrators arrested overnight for riot-related offenses.
They were due to appear in court Thursday morning.
