Police played several videos at a press conference, one of which they said showed a shot from the car driven by Jayland Walker, 25. Police Chief Steve Mylett said officers tried to stop Walker’s car early Monday for unspecified traffic and equipment violations, but less than a minute into the chase, a gunshot rang out from the car. A department of transportation camera captured what appeared to be a muzzle flash coming from the vehicle. Police said a few minutes later the car slowed and Walker got out of the still-moving vehicle wearing a ski mask and fled on foot. A handgun, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were found in the seat, and a holster consistent with the gun was later found where officers believed a shot came from the vehicle, authorities said. After an unsuccessful attempt to use stun devices, the foot chase continued into a parking lot, at which point a crescendo of bullets can be heard in the video. (WARNING: video contains graphic material) WATCHES | Ohio police released dashcam video showing the shooting of Jayland Walker:
Ohio police release body camera video showing shooting of Jayland Walker
Akron, Ohio police have released body camera footage showing the moment police shot Jayland Walker, an unarmed black man. Walker reportedly suffered as many as 60 gunshot wounds. Walker family attorney Bobby DiCello told reporters Sunday he was “deeply troubled” by police’s allegation that Walker fired at officers from his car and stressed there was no justification for his violent death. “They want to turn him into a masked monster with a gun,” DiCello said. “I ask you, as he leaves, what makes sense? Shoot him? No, it doesn’t make sense.”
Actions “difficult to distinguish”
Mylett said he has seen the video dozens of times and Walker’s actions are hard to make out, but one still photo appears to show him “going down on his waist” and another appears to show him turning toward an officer and a third photo “captures a forward motion of his hand.” After the shooting, the officers who fired were kept separate and arriving investigators walked them through the scene individually, Myett said. “Each officer independently said they felt Mr. Walker had turned and was gesturing and moving into a shooting position,” he said. At a news conference Sunday, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett told reporters that the officers involved will have to explain their actions and will be held accountable. (Gaelen Morse/Reuters) Mylett said an officer who shoots someone must be “prepared to explain why he did what he did, he must be able to articulate what specific threats he faced … and he must be held accountable.” But he said he was withholding judgment on their actions until they gave their testimony. He said the union president told him everyone was “fully cooperating” with the investigation. Police said more than 60 wounds were found on the body, but more investigation will be needed to determine exactly how many rounds the eight officers fired and how many times Walker was hit. Officers rendered aid and someone could be heard saying he still had a pulse, Mylett said, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “full, fair and expert investigation.” He cautioned that “body-worn camera hardware is only one view of the whole picture — a full review must be done before any conclusions are drawn.” The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases.
He calls for the police to be held accountable
Walker’s family is asking for both accountability and peace, their lawyers said after the city released video of the shooting. DiCello said police shots were fired even while Walker was on the ground and that police handcuffed him before trying to give him first aid. “How he came to this with a pursuit is beyond me,” DiCello said, adding that Walker’s family does not know why he ran from police. Protesters march in Akron on Sunday, the fourth day of protests in the Ohio city over Walker’s murder. (Gaelen Morse/Reuters) Walker was grieving the recent death of his fiancee, but his family had no indication of concern beyond that, DiCello said. “He was sad, but he was getting over it,” DiCello said. He said he does not know if the ring found near the gun belonged to Walker. The local chapter of the civil rights group NAACP held a rally at Akron City Hall Sunday afternoon, marking the fourth day of protests in the city over Walker’s death. The shooting was the latest in a series of killings of black people by law enforcement in the United States that critics say are racist and unjustified, including the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked global protests against police brutality and racial profiling. injustice.
