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July 3, 2022 • 42 minutes ago • 3 minutes reading • 34 comments This image captured from the body camera of a police officer and provided by the Akron Police Department on July 3, 2022, shows police surrounding the vehicle of 25-year-old Jayland Walker during a traffic stop in Akron, Ohio, on June 27, 2022. Photo from the Akron / AFP Police Department via Getty Images
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AKRON, Ohio – A black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a rain of gunfire, but officers believed he had shot them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was about to shoot again, authorities said Sunday at a news conference.
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Akron police released a video of the murder of 25-year-old Jayland Walker, who died in a chase that had begun with an attempt to stop traffic. The mayor called the shooting “heartbreaking” while calling for peace and patience from the community.
It is unclear how many shots were fired by the eight officers involved in the shooting, but Walker received more than 60 injuries. A lawyer for Walker’s family said officers continued to shoot even after he was on the ground.
Officers attempted to stop Walker’s car early Monday for unspecified traffic and equipment violations, but less than a minute after the chase, the sound of a shot was heard from the car and a department camera transport captured what appeared to be a muzzle flash coming from the vehicle, Akron police chief Steve Mylett said. This changed the nature of the case from “a routine traffic stop to now a public safety issue,” he said.
Videos from the police camera of the night confrontation show the minutes later. Several officers screaming with their weapons outstretched approach the speeding car on foot, as it rolls over a curb and onto a sidewalk.
A person wearing a ski mask walks out the passenger door and runs to a parking lot. Police chased him for about 10 seconds before officers fired from multiple directions, in a 6 or 7-second burst of gunfire.
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At least one officer had first tried using a stun gun, but that was unsuccessful, police said.
Mylett said Walker’s actions are hard to distinguish in real-time video, but one still photo looks like he is showing it “going down to the waist area” and another looks like it’s turning toward an officer. He said a third image “captures a forward movement of his arm.”
Officers were separated at the scene later, and each indicated belief that Walker had been moving to a firing position, Mylett said.
The images released by the police end with shots of the officers and do not show what happened in the later moments.
Mylett said an agent who shoots at someone must be “prepared to explain why he did what he did, he must be able to articulate what specific threats they were facing … and they need to be to be accountable “. But he said he is holding the trial on his actions until they make their statements and said the union president has told him they are all “fully cooperating” with the investigation.
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Police said more than 60 injuries were found in Walker’s body, but more investigation is needed to determine exactly how many rounds the officers fired and how many times Walker was hit. Officers provided help and can be heard saying he still had dust, but that he was pronounced dead, Mylett said.
In the car seat were found a pistol, a loaded magazine and an apparent wedding ring. A carcass compatible with the weapon was later found in the area where officers believed a shot had been fired from the vehicle.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “complete, fair and expert investigation” and warned that “camera images from the body are just a view of the entire image.”
Officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is common practice in these cases.
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Protesters marched through the city and gathered in front of the Akron justice center after the video was released. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that Walker’s death was not a self-defense, but “a murder. Blank.”
Walker’s family is demanding responsibility, but also peace, his lawyers said. One of the attorneys, Bobby DiCello, described the outburst as excessive and unreasonable police shooting, and said police handcuffed Walker before attempting to give first aid.
“How this has been achieved with research is beyond me,” DiCello said.
He said Walker’s family doesn’t know why he ran away from police. Walker was mourning the recent death of his girlfriend, but his family had no sign of concern beyond that, and he was not a criminal, DiCello said.
“I hope we remember that when Jayland crossed that parking lot, he was unarmed,” DiCello said.
He said he doesn’t know if the gold ring found near the car’s weapon belonged to Walker.
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