Akron business owners rise early to clean up damage from previous night’s violent protest

Businesses in Akron (Ohio) rose Monday morning to repair the damages caused by the violent protest of the night before.

Traffic was closed Monday morning on the part of South Main Street near Exchange Street so that business owners could clean up the shattered glass and other debris, Fox 8 reported.

The damage was committed by demonstrators who gathered the previous day to protest the police shooting of Jayland Brown, 25, which occurred on June 27. The protests began peacefully but escalated violently as the sun set.

Police were deployed in riot gear and directed tear gas at the protesters after they “started knocking down the barriers that were set up outside police headquarters,” WKYC reported.

Protesters attacked local businesses, breaking windows and throwing rocks at them. Someone set an American flag on fire and tossed it into a dumpster, Fox 8 reported. WOIO noted that a good Samaritan put out the dumpster fire.

Authorities imposed a curfew for downtown over the night, and Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan made a statement.

” As night fell, and people began to gather together, protests turned violent,” Horrigan stated. The damage to downtown Akron was extensive. Window repair has been done to small businesses along Main Street .”

The protests were sparked after the Akron Police Department released footage of the death of Brown, a black man from Akron, who was shot by police following a police pursuit around 12: 30 a.m. on June 27.

Officers believed that they heard Brown firing a gun from his vehicle at one point in the lengthy pursuit. Brown, who was wearing a ski mask and leaving the vehicle, fled on foot. A ground chase followed.

Police tried to use a Taser on Brown, but failed in their attempt to subdue the suspect. As the foot chase continued, the 25-year-old suddenly turned around to face the officers, who then discharged their weapons at Brown. He was injured and died.

Although Brown wasn’t armed in the pursuit, officers observed a pistol, loaded magazine and a wedding ring “plain view” from Brown’s car seat.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that police said that “more than 60 wounds were found on Walker’s body but further investigation is needed to determine exactly how many rounds the officers fired and how many times Walker was hit.”

The local police union stated in a statement that officers’ actions would be evaluated “justified in accordance with their training, protocols,” because they believed there was an immediate threat during pursuit. This investigation continues.

More demonstrations were scheduled for Monday. However, Walker’s family asked Fox 8 to report that peace is being sought.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.

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