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Topline
The Akron Police Department released body camera footage Sunday that showed the moments leading up to the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black motorist whose death last week has sparked days of protest in Akron, Ohio.
The footage of the fatal police shooting—which sparked days of protest in Akron, Ohio—is “shocking” … [+]
Key Facts
Authorities claim Walker fired a gun before fleeing on foot, at which point footage shows multiple officers converging on Walker and firing dozens of rounds in his direction after unsuccessfully trying to stop him with stun guns.
The video is “difficult to watch and shocking,” Police Chief Stephen Mylett said in a press conference Sunday, adding he would reserve judgment until an investigation is completed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Paige White, one of the Walker family’s attorneys, demanded justice for Walker after the video was released, saying “nobody should ever suffer the fate that Jayland Walker did.”
Both the police department and the White family’s legal representatives urged protestors in Akron Sunday to stay peaceful and not to resort to violence.
Key Background
Police tried to pull over Walker’s vehicle for an undisclosed minor traffic violation early Monday morning and chased him when he did not cooperate, according to the Akron Police Department. Authorities claim officers believed Walker fired a gun—which his family has disputed—before running from police in a parking lot. Officers continued the chase and fired rounds in his direction after perceiving that Walker “posed a deadly threat,” the department said. Walker was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary autopsy records show Walker suffered more than 60 gunshot wounds from his face down to his lower legs. Since Thursday, demonstrators in Akron have marched to protest Walker’s death, which is the third police shooting in the city since December.
Tangent
Eight officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, who they the police union says are cooperating with a state investigation, Mylett said Sunday.
Further Reading
3News Investigates: 8 Akron police officers fired 90-plus shots during confrontation with fleeing motorist (WKYC)
Akron marchers chant, ‘No more dying’ as they march to City Hall to protest Jayland Walker’s death (Akron Beacon Journal)
