Police said the shooting occurred after Walker, 25, fled as officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop for traffic and equipment violations on Monday, June 27. After a car chase, Walker got out of his car and a foot chase ensued, police said. The officers believed Walker was reaching toward his waist and “felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was gesturing and moving into a shooting position,” Mylett said. Walker, however, was not armed, Mylett said Sunday. During the pursuit of the vehicle, police said, a shot was fired from Walker’s car, police said. In voice-over video, police said that about 40 seconds after Walker walked away from police, “a sound consistent with a gunshot can 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 at the time the sound was heard. “This changes the whole nature of the traffic stop,” Mylett said at the news conference on Sunday. “It went from a routine traffic stop to a matter of public safety. And then the pursuit 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,” Millett said, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy. BCI, which is investigating the fatal shooting, has not yet confirmed how many times Walker was shot, Mylett said, and it is not yet known how many bullets were fired. “However, based on the video, I expect that number to be high,” he said. “Several rounds were fired.” Mylett said officers recovered a casing near the scene of the attempted traffic stop that was “consistent with the firearm that Mr. Walker had in his vehicle. BCI will determine whether that casing came from the gun or not.” . He added that a traffic camera captured “what we believe is a flash on the nozzle coming out of the car. Again the BCI will determine whether that is true or not.” Walker died of multiple gunshot wounds to the face, abdomen and legs, CNN affiliate WEWS reported, citing findings from its media partner, the Akron Beacon Journal. The newspaper, which was allowed to review a worksheet at the medical examiner’s office, said it “indicated that Walker was observed lying on his back and was handcuffed when a medical examiner arrived at the scene of the shooting.”
The Walker family is calling for peace, justice
Walker’s relative Robert Dejournett, who is pastor at St. Ashworth Temple Church of God In Christ 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 exemplify that even in this process,” Dejournett said. “We don’t want any rebellion or anything like that.” Dejournett 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,” Dejournett said. “We want to be treated like human beings, you know, black people, young people, they’re afraid when it comes to the police — that shouldn’t be,” he said. Attorneys for Jayland Walker’s family held a press conference shortly after police released the footage 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 watch the video, it gets worse for me,” said attorney Ken Abbarno. “Every movement I see, every shot I hear, and every time I see Jayland, lying on the ground, it becomes more and more horrifying.” Abbarno said the video is “much more than just ‘hard to watch’. It’s something that should never, ever be seen.” Bobby DiCello, another family attorney, said Walker had “never broken the law a day in his life — no crime of any kind.” DiCello said Walker’s behavior on Monday “would be indicative of some distress, some fear, something he was 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 the number of shots fired,” according to a statement issued Sunday by the Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7. “The decision to use deadly force as well as the number of shots fired is consistent with use of force protocols and officer training,” the statement said. Each officer is “fully cooperating” with the independent investigation being conducted by the BCI, the statement said.
The City of Akron is asking the public to remain calm
Before releasing the video, Akron officials asked the community to be patient and allow the investigation to take place while they protested peacefully if they wanted 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 press conference before the footage was released. The mayor recognized the rights of Akron residents to protest. “But I hope the community can agree, that violence and destruction is not the answer,” he said, calling for the protests to remain peaceful. “Be patient and let the attorney general do his job,” he said. City leaders pointed out that the footage was released under a new city ordinance that requires video documenting the use of force by an active-duty police officer to be released within seven days of the incident. Millett said the city welcomes peaceful protests, but is prepared if protests turn violent. “We have developed an operational plan to manage and provide safe space in this city for people to protest,” Mylett said. “And in the event that it turns into 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 of the details of that.”
