AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a hail of gunfire, but officers believed he had fired at them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was preparing to shoot again, the authorities said.
Akron police released video Sunday of the pursuit and killing of Jayland Walker, 25. The mayor called the shooting “heartbreaking” while appealing for peace and patience from the community.
It is not yet clear how many shots were fired by the eight officers involved in the shooting, but Walker suffered more than 60 wounds. An attorney for Walker’s family said Walker was on the ground as officers continued to shoot.
Protesters marched through the city and gathered outside the Akron Judicial Center after the video was released. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that Walker’s death “was a murder. From point of view.
Officers tried to stop Walker’s car early Monday for unspecified traffic and equipment violations, but less than a minute into the chase, a gunshot rang out from the car and a Department of Transportation camera captured what appeared to be lightning coming from the vehicle. means. , said Akron Police Chief Steve Maillett. That changed the nature of the case from “a routine traffic stop to now a public safety issue,” he said.
A few minutes later, the car slowed down and Walker got out of the still-moving vehicle, wearing a ski mask, and fled on foot, police said. A handgun, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were found on the seat, and a shell casing matching the weapon was later found where officers believed a shot had come from the vehicle.
After a failed attempt to use tasers, the chase continued into a parking lot, where a crescendo of bullets could be heard. Mylett said he has watched the video dozens of times and Walker’s actions are hard to distinguish, but one still photo appears to show him “going down to his waist” and another shows him addressing an officer. He said a third photo “captures his arm moving forward.”
“Each officer, independently of each other, said they felt Mr. Walker turn and wave, taking a shooting position,” he said.
Mylett said an officer who shoots someone should be “willing to explain why he did what he did, should be able to articulate what specific threats he was facing … and should be held accountable.” But he said he was not assessing their actions until they gave their testimony and said the union president told him they were all “cooperating fully” with the investigation.
Police said more than 60 wounds were found on Walker’s body, but further investigation will be needed to determine exactly how many rounds the eight officers fired and how many times Walker was hit. Officers rendered aid and one could be heard saying he still had a pulse, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Maillett said.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “full, fair and expert investigation” and warned that “the body-worn camera footage is only one glimpse of the whole picture.”
The employees involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases.
Walker’s family is calling for accountability but also for peace, their attorneys said after the city released video of the shooting. One of the attorneys, Bobby DiCello, said police handcuffed Walker before he tried to administer first aid.
“How it came to this with a chase is beyond me,” DiCello said, adding that Walker’s family does not know why he ran from police. Walker was grieving the recent death of his fiancée, but his family had no indication of concern beyond that, DiCello said.
“He was not a criminal,” DiCello said. “He was obviously in pain. He didn’t deserve to die.
Dicello called the police shooting excessive and unreasonable. “I hope we remember that when Jayland ran across that parking lot, he was unarmed,” DiCello said. He said he did not know if the ring found near the gun belonged to Walker.
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