Akron, Ohio – A black man who was shot and killed by Akron police officers in a rain of bullets after a vehicle and the chase on foot was unarmed at the time of the shooting, but appeared to have fired a shot. of the vehicle during the chase, and officers said they feared he was preparing to fire when they fired the guns, authorities said.
Police on Sunday released a video that the mayor described as “heartbreaking” about the chase and shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker as he called for peace and patience from the community as state investigation into the shooting continues.
Chief Steve Mylett said officers attempted to stop Walker’s car 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 camera from the transport department picked up what appeared to be a muzzle flash the vehicle. Mylett said this changed the nature of the case from “a routine traffic stop to now a public safety issue.”
Police said a few minutes later that the car slowed down and Walker got out of the vehicle that was still moving with a ski mask on and fled on foot. A pistol, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were found in the seat and a weapon-compatible casing was later found at the spot where officers believed a shot was fired from the vehicle.
After an unsuccessful attempt to use stunning devices, the chase on foot continued to a parking lot, at which point a crescendo of bullets can be heard. Mylett said he has seen the video dozens of times and that Walker’s actions at the time are hard to distinguish, but one still photo looks like it shows him “going down to the waist area” and another seems to turn to to an officer and a third. The image “captures a forward movement of his arm.”
After the shooting, the officers who fired were kept separate from each other and watched over them, and the investigators who arrived guided them individually through the scene, Myett said.
“Each officer, independently of each other, said he felt Mr. Walker had turned around and was making a gesture and moving toward a firing position,” he said.
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 explained “. 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.
Police said more than 60 body wounds were found, but more needs to be investigated to determine exactly how many rounds the eight officers fired and how many times Walker was hit. Officers provided assistance and can be heard saying he still had dust, but that he was pronounced dead at the scene, Mylett said.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “thorough, fair and expert investigation” and warned that “the camera images taken on the body are just a vision of the whole image; before drawing conclusions, it is must do full review “.
Officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is a common practice in these cases.
One of the family’s attorneys, Bobby DiCello, said police shots were fired even after Walker was on the ground, and police handcuffed him before attempting to give first aid.
“How he got to this with a chase is beyond me,” DiCello said, adding that Walker’s family doesn’t know why he ran away from police. Walker was mourning the recent death of his fiancée, but his family had no sign of concern beyond that, DiCello said.
“He was sad, but he was going through it,” DiCello said. He said he doesn’t know if the ring found near the gun belonged to Walker.
Walker’s family demands responsibility, but also peace.
“Anger is fine. Anger is understandable. Violence is not. We defend the dignity of Jayland’s life while demanding justice peacefully for him,” Walker’s family said in a statement to CBS News.
Akron’s NAACP planned to hold a “community peace rally” on Sunday at Akron town hall in memory of Walker.