At a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Walker’s aunt, Lajuana Walker Dawkins, said “he never caused any trouble.”
“He was my skinny little nephew,” she said. “And we miss him. We just want some answers.”
Mr. DiCello said Mr. Walker’s sister, Jada Walker, and mother, Pamela Walker, chose not to watch the footage of the shooting. They have asked that it not be described to them and were avoiding news reports about it. They also asked for people to peacefully respond to Mr. Walker’s killing.
“The family wants no more violence,” Mr. DiCello said. “It’s had enough violence. The family wants peace, dignity and justice for Jayland.”
Ahead of the video’s release, the city braced for protests.
On Saturday afternoon, about 100 people gathered in the parking lot of Second Baptist Church, just outside of downtown Akron. The protesters carried signs, one of which said, “JFJ JustificationForJayland.”
Many of the demonstrators criticized what they said was unequal treatment by the police.
“When some people don’t follow directions, they wind up in handcuffs,” said Hamza Khabir, 41, a Cleveland resident who heads Law Enforcement Equality Reform, an activist group. “When Black people do so, they wind up being shot and killed.”
David McDay, 78, said he was frustrated by the lack of change over time.
“I have always been amazed that the same problems keep happening over and over again,” said Mr. McDay, a retired Goodyear factory worker.
