Jayland Walker was a skilled wrestler and natural leader, family and friends say

Jayland Walker had dreams of starting his own business, and at one time in his life he considered becoming a semi-professional wrestler.

AKRON, Ohio — Jayland Walker had dreams of starting his own business, and at one time in his life he considered becoming a semi-professional wrestler. But those dreams came to an abrupt end after he was fatally shot June 27 after fleeing police during a traffic stop in Akron, Ohio.

Walker was a "soft-spoken" and "funny" young man, his family said. Whenever he entered a room, he greeted his relatives with hugs and kisses and "I love yous."

"Like any other kid, he played basketball, wrestled, he liked music, being around family and friends," Walker’s cousin Roddray Walker said Wednesday. 

Walker took up wrestling when he was young. At his alma mater, Buchtel High School in Akron, he was a member of the wrestling team. He used to tell his family that if he ever went semi-pro, he wanted to use the stage name "Stringbean," a funny nod to his lanky physique. 

Jayland Walker with his sister, Jada, left, and mother, Pamela.Courtesy Jayland Walker family"With Jayland you didn't always know if he was joking or not," said his cousin Robin Elerick, who recounted the wrestling story at Walker's funeral Wednesday. "We laughed it off, but that's kind of who Jayland was. … He was always looking to make you smile. And that's one of the things we loved most about him."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jayland-walker-was-skilled-wrestler-natural-leader-family-friends-say-rcna38255


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Updated: 1 year ago
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