As community members and allies, we demand justice and accountability for the police killing of Jason Walker, a 41-year-old, unarmed Black man.
On January 8, Walker was crossing the street as a pedestrian and was struck by a passing truck driven by off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy Officer Jeffrey Hash. Hash then stopped and exited the vehicle and shot Walker in the back with his pistol. An eyewitness, Elizabeth Ricks, rushed to Walker’s side and immediately began administering first aid. Paramedics arrived on the scene but were unable to save his life.
Following the shooting, Hash claimed that Walker jumped on the hood of his moving vehicle and that he shot him out of fear for his life. These claims, which have been echoed by Fayetteville police Chief Gina V. Hawkins, contradict eyewitness accounts. Hash has not been arrested.
We demand:
- The immediate arrest of Officer Jeffrey Hash under the charge of murder
- Implementation by Cumberland County of a citizen review board based on North Carolina SB 682
- Removal of Hash from paid administrative leave as he was off-duty when he shot and killed Walker
- Removal of Chief Gina Hawkins and DA Billy West due to their mishandling of this and other cases
- Binding resolution for no paid leave for off-duty shootings within the sheriff’s department
- A statement issued by Sheriff Ennis Wright on the department’s internal investigation
- A public report on the SBI and FBI investigations
- An investigation by the DOJ
