Eight police officers in Akron, Ohio, were involved in the shooting death of Jayland Walker, 25, last week after a car and foot chase. Police say they believed Walker was armed at the time he was shot, but the family’s attorney said his team has seen no evidence Walker fired a weapon and that police body camera video shows him running with his back to the cops when they shot him. . Officers played several videos at a news conference, one of which they said showed a shot from the car driven by Walker, who was being chased by police. Walker jumped out of the car and ran from authorities, the video showed. Police say he appeared to be walking toward officers, who at the time believed he had a gun. A gun was later recovered from his car. The Walker family’s attorney, Bobby DiCello, had warned that the video was “barbaric,” in comments published Saturday by the Akron Beacon Journal. “He’s just on a down sprint when he gets dropped — I think the count is over 90 shots,” DiCello said. “Now how many of those lands, according to our research right now, we’re getting details that indicate 60 to 80 plagues.” The incident led to eight Akron city police officers being placed on paid administrative leave following the fatal encounter. Image: Police killed Jayland Walker by shooting him dozens of times Speaking at a news conference moments before police cam footage of the fatal incident was shown, Mayor Daniel Horrigan said: “I know this is a sad occasion for all of us and for the entire city. The city mourns with you. “The video you are about to watch is heartbreaking and very difficult to watch and I have a lot of questions myself.” A lawyer for Walker’s family said his relatives fear protests in response to the killing could turn violent. In its initial statement last week, the Akron Police Department said its officers “attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation” around 12:30 a.m. Monday. The force said the driver refused to stop and officers gave chase, with police saying “a firearm was discharged from the suspect vehicle”. Police said Walker jumped out of his car in traffic and officers continued the pursuit on foot. “The suspect’s actions made officers aware that he posed a deadly threat to them,” the force said. “In response to this threat, officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect.” He was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting was the latest in a series of killings of black men by law enforcement in the US, including the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked global protests.
