The Summit County Coroner’s Office’s preliminary report contains several pages of photo thumbnails showing Walker dead and handcuffed at the scene and after his body arrived at the medical examiner’s office. The photos also contain evidence of life-saving efforts, including what appear to be tourniquets and bandages tied around his body. CNN was granted permission to review the report following an official request, but was not permitted to make copies of its contents per office policy. A final autopsy report will be turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which investigates any criminal wrongdoing by officers. The autopsy report will be part of what the state attorney general’s office considers in presenting a case to a grand jury. Walker was killed in the early morning hours of June 27 after fleeing what police said was an attempted traffic stop, leading officers on an 18-minute car chase and then a brief foot chase. It ended after he stopped quickly and officers believed he was reaching his waist and “felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was gesturing and moving into a shooting position,” officials said. Eight police officers fired dozens of rounds, injuring more than 60 gunshots, officials said. CNN reached out to the Akron Police Department for comment on its policy on handcuffing people who die in police custody. Photos taken at the medical examiner’s office hours after the shooting show Walker in the body bag and then on the examination table. Photos show dozens of gunshot wounds from his ankle to his cheek on both sides of his body. Photos in the report also show items such as Walker’s driver’s license and a bloody set of handcuffs.
What the police say happened
City and police officials spoke at a news conference Sunday and released body camera footage from 13 officers of the events leading up to Walker’s shooting. Walker was unarmed at the time he was killed, Akron Police Chief Steven Maillett told reporters. A gun was found in Walker’s vehicle after the shooting, police said, and officers said Walker fired a gun from his vehicle during the car chase. Video released by police says that about 40 seconds after the chase began, “a sound consistent with a gunshot is heard” on the body camera footage, and officers told dispatch that a shot was fired from Walker’s vehicle. Police also showed still images taken from traffic cameras that showed “a flash of light” — perhaps a muzzle flash — along the driver’s side of the car. “This changes the whole nature” of the incident, Mylett said, turning a “routine traffic stop” into a “public safety issue.” After several minutes, body camera video shows Walker’s vehicle slowed down and he got out of the vehicle and ran. Several officers got out of their patrol cars and chased after him, and officers deployed Tasers in an attempt to stop him, police said, but were unsuccessful. Moments later, when police say Walker stopped and turned toward officers, they opened fire, killing him. Eight officers were “directly” involved in the shooting, Mylett said Sunday, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The Walker family’s attorney on Tuesday said he was sickened after watching the dash cam video. “It’s devastating to see a young life taken in this crazy, crazy way,” Bobby diCello told CNN. “He was unarmed, and I’ll repeat exactly what the (police) chief said: Every single one of those bullets — and there were over 90 of them — has to be accounted for and proven to have been fired with intent.”
After the shooting protests
There were protests over Walker’s killing Sunday that began peacefully but turned violent after nightfall, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said. He said there was “significant property damage in downtown Akron” and police said they arrested about 50 people after protesters failed to disperse. Walker’s family had asked that any protest remain peaceful to honor his memory. Robert Dejournett, a relative of Walker’s and a local pastor, said the 25-year-old was a fun-loving young man full of jokes, who was loved by all. “We are God-fearing people who believe in God and we want to exemplify that even in this process,” Dejournett told CNN, “we don’t want any riots or anything like that.” “Personally, I want to scream and be mad,” said the pastor, “but what’s he going to do?” Horrigan instituted a nighttime curfew Monday and Tuesday in downtown Akron to prevent further violence. He plans to lift the curfew on Wednesday morning. “Citizens have a right to have their voices heard and I fully support that,” the mayor said in a statement on the city’s website. “In an effort to support all those protesting peacefully, I plan to lift the curfew on our downtown footprint starting tomorrow. As always, public safety remains our top priority and I urge our community to report any incidents or threats of violence or destruction so that a small group of rioters does not cause further damage to our city and small businesses.”
