As Akron police released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of black driver Jayland Walker on Sunday showing multiple officers firing a hail of bullets, police experts said the video raised more questions than it initially answered.
Officers shot and killed Walker, 25, on Monday as he fled from police who were chasing him for traffic and equipment violations, according to authorities. The video shows officers unsuccessfully trying to stop Walker with Tasers as he runs from his car before firing a series of rounds, killing him.
The footage released by police on Sunday includes narrated video of the events leading up to the shooting, as well as body camera footage of the police pursuit of Walker and the fatal shooting. Walker’s body was blurred out in the video at the request of his family, according to police.
At a news conference Sunday, Police Chief Steve Maillett said the medical examiner found about 60 wounds on Walker’s body. It is not yet clear how many shots were fired by the eight officers involved in the shooting.
Walker was pronounced dead at the scene and his death from multiple gunshot wounds was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner.
Jayvon Williams, 13, is comforted by the Rev. Jayland Finney, left, as he speaks at a rally after watching police body cam video of Jayland Walker. Lynette Williams, center, reacts after Javon’s impassioned speech.
USA TODAY spoke with two criminal justice and police experts who say the videos alone ultimately don’t provide full clarity on key moments in the shooting, including what prompted police to switch from using Tasers to deadly force and what led to the volume of police shootings at Walker, who was unarmed when he was shot, according to Mylett.
The video doesn’t show what prompted the officers to fire their weapons, the expert said
Bodycam footage released shows officers chasing a silver Buick at 12:30 a.m. Monday for a traffic and equipment violation. While chasing Walker in their cruiser, officers reported a gunshot coming from Walker’s car door.
Officers chased Walker as he refused to stop before he finally escaped through the passenger side door of the moving vehicle wearing a ski mask, the video shows. Multiple officers can be heard yelling at Walker before using Tasers, then firing a rapid series of rounds.
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The released videos helped provide context to the shooting, including the high volume of shots fired, how the chase unfolded and the attempted use of Tasers by police before deadly force, according to Keith Taylor, an assistant professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
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But the footage doesn’t directly show what prompted the officers to start firing their weapons, Taylor said.
“My understanding is that he assumed a posture that appeared to indicate that he was preparing to shoot the officers and that is the reason for their use of deadly force,” he said. “I didn’t see that. And I’m sure that will be critical in this investigation.”
This still image from a police body camera showing Jayland Walker wearing a ski mask and running from his car was released during a news conference Sunday at the Firestone Community Center in Akron.
Photos from the scene show a gun in the front seat of Walker’s car, and Maillett said video and audio are emerging showing the flash of a gun and a shot fired from Walker’s car during the vehicle chase. Walker was unarmed when he ran from his car and ran from police, according to Mylett.
A bill signed by Gov. Mike DeWine this year allows Ohioans over the age of 21 to concealed carry firearms they are legally entitled to own without training or permits. The bill also removes the legal requirement that gun owners tell police they are armed when stopped.
“Ohio allows anyone to carry a gun, no questions asked,” Lawler said. “This is a recent policy that Governor DeWine just signed, no permit needed. And when that happens, things like that are more likely to happen.”
The video may not be clear enough to determine whether Walker posed a risk to others, including police, during the chase, according to Mike Lawler, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven.
“The question of whether someone will be charged with a crime is: Did they reasonably believe that someone’s life was in danger at that time?” Lawler said.
“It started as a pure equipment violation”
Police departments have different procedures for what constitutes a high-speed chase warrant, and the speed at which Walker was driving by police could pose a risk to others, according to Taylor.
“A driver who actually speeds away creates a public safety condition because that driver can run a red light and kill someone who is crossing the street or crossing an intersection,” Taylor said.
Lawler said most police departments have strict policies related to initiating high-speed pursuits, which often require that the potential risk to others be weighed against the nature of the crime for which the person is being pursued.
“So if it starts out as a pure equipment violation, which usually means like a defective tail light or no license plate light, it’s never going to warrant a prosecution in almost any part of the country,” he said.
The video also raises questions about the motive behind the volume of shots fired at Walker by Akron police.
Eight officers were directly involved in the shooting and all have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to Mylett, in accordance with Akron police policy following an involvement in the use of deadly force. Five other police officers were on the scene but were not involved in the shooting.
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Multiple officers simultaneously perceiving Walker as a deadly threat may have led to the high number of shots fired, according to Taylor.
“I’m not sure they had enough time to plan any kind of tactical approach to the situation,” Taylor said. “And I think they all must have felt there was an immediate threat to their lives.”
The volume of shots fired also may be more closely related to the number of officers involved than to their response to shooting, Lawler said.
“The lesson is, if you think force is justified, then you keep shooting at the center of the mass until the threat is gone,” he said. “They will actually empty their guns.”
Both Lawler and Taylor acknowledged the important role the Akron Police Department’s transparency played in determining the full sequence of events. An Akron city ordinance passed last year requires police videos in cases involving the use of deadly force to be posted online within seven days for the public to view.
Akron police released body camera footage from the scene of Walker’s killing on Sunday, six days after the shooting.
Contributing: John Bacon and Janine Santucci, USA TODAY; Akron Beacon Journal; Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jayland Walker bodycam footage: Police experts have more questions
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