Jaymeisha Beasley Death: Jayland Walker’s Fiancée’s Niece Was Slain During the Akron Vigil!

By Mohit Kamboj On Jul 10, 2022

The 4-year-old girl who died in Akron on Friday night after someone shot into a crowd has a sad connection to Jayland Walker, who was shot and killed by police on June 27.

A family member said that the girl was the niece of Walker’s fiancee, Jaymeisha Beasley.

Walker’s life was turned upside down on May 28 when Beasley, who was 27, was killed by a hit-and-run driver while she was traveling with her family on Interstate 71 north of Cincinnati.

Journei Tolbert, Beasley’s 4-year-old niece, died Friday after being shot in the head. Johnny L. Gaiter, who was 40 years old, died later at an Akron hospital.

Walker and Journei’s uncle, Demetrius Travis Sr., said that his mother got a call after the shooting on Friday night.

He said, “They were at the hospital and called my mom.” “On Facebook, I had seen that a child had been shot.”

Travis said that Journei’s family had just finished a vigil for an 18-year-old man who had been shot a year before. He said that people were leaving after a balloon release. Police said that the vigil was in the 700 block of Princeton Street.

Police don’t think the shootings have anything to do with the demonstrations.

Travis said, “I heard that someone shot into the crowd.”

Travis said he was told that Journei died before she could get to the hospital to be treated.

He said, “I don’t think she got to the ambulance.”

Call for 48-hour Break in Jayland Walker Protests From Akron Mayor, Police Chief, and Black Pastor

On Friday night, the mayor of Akron, the police chief, and many Black pastors begged protesters who were protesting Walker’s shooting murder by Akron police to refrain from their demonstrations for at least 48 hours following the girl’s death. Walker was shot and killed by Akron police.

According to the authorities, there have been no arrests made as of Saturday afternoon.

Alexis Jerels, a resident of the block where the incident occurred, stated that her daughter and Journei would occasionally play together. Journei was shot and killed.

Jerels stated that he had witnessed seven shootings in the neighbourhood since he moved there. “I’m just sick and tired of this; it’s driving me crazy, and it’s frustrating me.”

She claimed that there was anarchy in the aftermath of the incident.

She relayed the following: “They were shouting and running, and people were seeking for their kids.” “…There is already an excessive amount of activity. Everything in this place is headed straight for the pits of hell.”

Late on Friday night, local leaders and pastors issued a request for people to take the Jayland Walker demonstrations to a lower level of intensity.

Outside of Akron Children’s Hospital, where the four-year-old patient had passed away earlier in the evening, Mayor Dan Horrigan, Police Chief Steve Mylett, the Reverend Lorenzo Glenn, and other individuals gave speeches.

According to Akron’s Mayor, “There Is Sadness Throughout the City.”

“I had a conversation with the mother and the grandmother. Horrigan remarked that “there is a heartbreak in the city.” “And speaking about the level of tension that exists in the world today.

Several pastors spoke about de-escalation and the pursuit of nonviolent justice and peace in their sermons. They have a right to protest, and they’ve turned up at my house to exercise that right. It’s not to my taste, but I guess they have a right to be there.

They have a right to protest, but we need to bring the temperature down a little bit in the neighborhood because it’s hurting, the mayor said, adding that he and the others decided to come to the hospital to send a message along those lines.

Horrigan has stated that he is “ready to listen to anybody who has those opinions on how to bring the community forward. I am aware that many individuals are upset. Now, tensions are at an all-time high because of a shooting that took the life of a young girl before she could celebrate her fifth birthday.

The mayor of Akron has called on everyone involved in the shooting of Jayland Walker to calm down:

According to Horrigan, the demonstrators and the city are going to have to talk at some time.

“What exactly are the adjustments that we are hoping to see?” I can promise that there will be some points on which we will disagree…. However, I believe that we are capable of reaching an understanding with one another, and that is what I am requesting of you,” he stated.

According to what the mayor had to say, all parties involved need to calm down.

The Akron branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) published a list of requests for the city and police department on Saturday. One of these demands was for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

“I admit, we haven’t been at our best the first couple of days,” Horrigan said Friday night. “The chief has addressed that with a number of things. … Let’s stand down a little bit and start to listen to each other. Because when the voices are so high and you’re yelling at each other, nobody can hear each other. That’s what we need to do, to start hearing each other and listen.”

Glenn, the pastor of Akron’s Macedonia Baptist Church, said, “I’m praying that everyone will get along now.” “It’s getting out of hand, and the city needs peace.”