The American city of Akron, Ohio, has canceled its Independence Day celebrations following a high-profile police shooting earlier this week, which saw several officers firing almost a hundred of rounds at a young black man they were chasing. The man died after more than 60 rounds struck his body.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, a Democrat, called the incident “a dark day for our city” on Friday as he announced that Akron authorities would not hold any of the planned Fourth of July festivities during the holiday weekend. The Rib, White, & Blue Festival was scheduled to begin Friday in downtown Akron and last until Monday.
“I feel strongly that this is not the time for a city-led celebration,” Horrigan explained. The decision was caused by a high-profile police shooting that occurred on Monday and has already led to some protests in the city.
At that time, a group of police officers sought to pull over Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old black man, who worked as a DoorDash food-delivery driver. Walker reportedly refused to obey the officers’ commands. According to the Akron Police Department, he also fired a gun from outside his vehicle during the pursuit, the Washington Post reports.