City officials also released police body camera footage of the shooting for the first time Sunday, nearly a week after the fatal shooting. The video raises more questions about the shooting of the unarmed black man, which is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
Police said the shooting occurred after Walker, 25, fled as officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop for traffic and equipment violations on Monday, June 27.
After a car chase, Walker got out of his car and a chase ensued, police said. The officers believed Walker was reaching for his waist, and they “felt Mr. Walker turned and waved, taking a shooting position,” Maillett said.
However, Walker was not armed, Maillett said Sunday.
Police said during the car chase, a shot was fired from Walker’s car.
In body camera video, police said that about 40 seconds after Walker walked away from police, “a sound consistent with a gunshot could be heard on the officers’ body-worn cameras.” Police also said a “flash of light” could be seen on the driver’s side of the car during the sound.
“It changes the whole nature of the traffic stop,” Maillett said at Sunday’s news conference. “It went from being a routine traffic stop to a public safety issue. After that, the chase continued.”
A handgun and loaded magazine were found in Walker’s car after the shooting, police said, along with a gold ring.
Eight officers were “directly involved in the shooting,” Maillett said, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to department policy.
BCI, which is investigating the fatal shooting, has not yet confirmed how many times Walker was shot, Maillett said, and it is not yet known how many rounds were fired.
“However, based on the video, I expect that number to be high,” he said. “A lot of rounds were fired.”
Mylett said officers recovered a shell casing near the scene of the attempted traffic stop that was “consistent with the firearm that Mr. Walker had in his vehicle. The BCI will determine whether or not that shell casing came from the gun. “
He added that a dash camera captured “what we believe to be lightning coming from the car. Again, the BCI will determine whether this is the case or not.”
Walker died of multiple gunshot wounds to the face, abdomen and upper legs, CNN affiliate WEWS reported, citing findings from its media partner, the Akron Beacon Journal.
A newspaper that was allowed to review an investigation worksheet at the medical examiner’s office said it “shows Walker was observed lying on his back and was handcuffed when the medical examiner arrived at the scene of the shooting “.
The Walker family is calling for peace, justice
Walker’s relative, Robert Dejournet, who is a pastor at the Church of God in Christ at St. Ashworth in Akron, told CNN’s Polo Sandoval that the family wants Walker to be remembered as a fun-loving young man who was full of life.
“We are God-fearing people who believe in God, and we want to set an example of that even in this trial,” Dejournet said. “We don’t want any riots or anything like that.
Dejournette said the family hopes the shooting will lead to systemic change.
“We want to take that and we want to use it to benefit systemic change,” Dejournet said. “We want to be treated like human beings, you know, black men, young men, they’re afraid when it comes to the police — it shouldn’t be,” he said.
Attorneys for Jayland Walker’s family held a news conference shortly after police released the tape and stressed that while the family wants answers from police, they also want the public to “give peace, give dignity and give justice a chance — for Jayland.”
“Every time I watched the video, it got worse for me,” said attorney Ken Abarno. “Every movement I see, every shot I hear, and every time I see Jayland lying on the ground, they become more terrifying.”
Abarno said the video was “much more than just ‘hard to watch.’ This is something that should never, ever be seen.”
Bobby DiCello, another family attorney, said Walker “has never broken the law a day in his life — no crimes of any kind.” DiCello said Walker’s behavior Monday “would be indicative of some distress, some fear, something that he’s going through.”
The police union supports the officers
The Akron police union believes the officers involved in the shooting were justified in their actions, “including (with) the number of shots fired,” according to a statement released Sunday by the Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7.
“The decision to deploy deadly force, as well as the number of shots fired, was consistent with use-of-force protocols and officer training,” the statement said.
Each officer is “cooperating fully” with the independent investigation conducted by the BCI, the statement said.
The City of Akron is asking the public to remain calm
Before the footage was released, Akron officials asked the community to be patient and allow the investigation to take place while they protest peacefully if they wish to demonstrate.
“I won’t mince words – the video you’re about to watch is heartbreaking and very hard to take,” Mayor Dan Horrigan said at a news conference before the footage was released.
The mayor recognized the rights of Akron residents to protest. “But I hope the community will agree that violence and destruction is not the answer,” he said, calling for demonstrations to remain peaceful.
“Please be patient and let the attorney general do his job,” he said.
City leaders stressed that the footage was released under a new city ordinance that requires videos documenting the use of force by an active-duty police officer to be released within seven days of an incident.
Maillett said the city welcomes peaceful protests but is prepared if demonstrations turn violent.
“We have developed an operational plan to manage and provide a safe space in this city for people to protest,” Maillett said. “And in case it gets to a situation where it’s no longer peaceful, we have an operational plan for that as well, and I’m not going to discuss any details about that.”
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