Heated protests erupted in downtown Akron, Ohio, on Sunday, raging late into the night after police released graphic body camera video showing black DoorDash delivery driver Jayland Walker being shot dozens of times as he tried to flee a bus stop .
Demonstrations have been held around Akron since the June 27 police shooting of Walker, but they intensified Sunday after police released the video, which Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan called “heartbreaking.”
The video captured police wearing riot gear and carrying shields against demonstrators who could be heard chanting “Fuck the police,” “Justice for Jayland” and “We’re done dying,” News 5 Cleveland reported.
Other videos showed police officers using what appeared to be a dozen tear gas canisters in an attempt to disperse the crowd after someone tore down barricades around the Akron Justice Center, according to WKYC.
A woman stands in front of soldiers in riot gear as police use tear gas and stun grenades to clear the area around Akron City Hall and the Akron Police Department during a protest over the police shooting of Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio, July 3, 2022 AFP via Getty Images Akron police, dressed in riot gear and carrying shields, confronted protesters at the Akron Justice Center Sunday night. AFP via Getty Images Tear gas was fired after protesters set fire to a dumpster and tried to move barricades in downtown Akron Sunday.AFP via Getty Images
During the unrest, protesters blocked traffic in the Highland Square and West Akron areas of the city, and someone set fire to a dumpster and broke windows on plows used to close streets.
At a press conference held Sunday to announce the release of the body camera footage, authorities acknowledged that Walker, 25, was unarmed when cops chased him on foot and shot him dead, but they believed he had fired at them earlier from his car and was afraid he would fire again.
It’s unclear how many shots were fired by the eight officers involved in the incident, but Akron Police Chief Steve Millett said the number could be more than 90, with Walker suffering at least 60 bullet wounds — including after he was on the ground, according to a lawyer for his family.
The medical examiner who arrived on the scene found Walker lying handcuffed on his back, according to an ME “worksheet” on the case, the Beacon Journal reported. He reportedly had wounds to his face, torso and upper leg.
Walker, 25, was shot and killed June 27 after leading police officers on a chase and allegedly firing from his car following a traffic stop. A graphic body camera video that was released Sunday showed eight cops firing dozens of shots at Walker after he got out of his vehicle wearing a ski mask (pictured). Akron Police Department/AFP via Police said Walker may have been shot more than 90 times, including after he was on the ground. via REUTERS
Police tried to stop Walker’s car around 12:30 a.m. last Monday for unspecified traffic and equipment violations, but he refused to pull over, leading officers on a chase.
Police said Walker fired shots from his car during the chase, and a Department of Transportation camera captured what appeared to be lightning coming from the vehicle.
Mylett said that changed the nature of the case from “a routine traffic stop to a public safety issue.”
Body camera videos show what happened after the roughly six-minute chase. Several screaming police officers with guns drawn walk up to the slowing car, which flips over a curb and onto a sidewalk.
Walker, wearing a ski mask, exits the passenger door and runs toward a parking lot. Police chased him for about 10 seconds before officers opened fire from multiple directions, in a series of shots that lasted 6 or 7 seconds.
Police said they found a handgun, a loaded magazine and a gold ring in Walker’s vehicle during the traffic stop. Akron Police Department/AFP via
At least one officer first tried to use a stun gun, but that was unsuccessful, police said.
Maillett said Walker’s actions were difficult to distinguish in the live video, but a still photo appeared to show him “going down to his waist” and another showed him addressing an officer. He said a third photo “captures his arm moving forward.”
In a statement released Sunday to reporters, the local police union said the officers believed there was an imminent threat of serious injury and that it believed their actions and the number of shots fired would be deemed justified in accordance with their training and protocols. The union said officers were cooperating with the investigation.
Police said more than 60 wounds were found on Walker’s body, but further investigation is needed to determine exactly how many rounds officers fired and how many times Walker was hit.
The footage released by police ends with the officers being shot and does not show what happened next. Officers administered first aid and Walker could be heard still having a pulse, but he was later pronounced dead, Maillett said.
Mylett declined to say Sunday whether the shooting was justified, adding that when a cop “makes the most critical decision of his life” and points a gun at someone and shoots, they have to account “for every shot down the barrel of a gun.”
A handgun, a loaded magazine and a visible wedding ring were found on the car seat. A shell casing matching the weapon was later found in the area where officers believe a shot came from the vehicle.
Protests have been taking place in Akron since Walker’s shooting, but have intensified since the video was released. AFP via Getty Images Walker’s family demanded accountability but also urged protesters to remain peaceful. Reuters
State Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “full, fair and expert investigation” by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and warned that “body-worn camera footage is only one view of the whole picture.”
Akron police are conducting a separate internal investigation into whether officers violated department rules or policies.
The employees involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases.
Seven of the officers are white and one is black, according to the department. Their tenure with Akron police ranged from a year and a half to six years, and none had a record of discipline, substantiated complaints or fatal shootings, the release said.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that Walker’s death was not self-defense, but “was murder. From point of view.
Walker’s family is calling for accountability but also for peace, their attorneys said. One of the lawyers, Bobby DiCello, called the police shooting excessive and unreasonable and said police handcuffed Walker before he tried to administer first aid.
The NAACP described Walker’s killing as “murder. Emphasis.” REUTERS
“How it came to this with a chase is beyond me,” DiCello said.
He said Walker’s family does not know why he ran from police. Walker was grieving the recent death of his fiancee, but his family had no indication of concern beyond that, and he was not a criminal, DiCello said.
“They want to turn him into a masked monster with a gun,” DiCello said. “I ask you, running away, what is reasonable? Should I shoot him? No, that’s not reasonable.
The attorney added, “I hope we remember that when Jayland ran across that parking lot, he was unarmed.”
With postal wires
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