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Police have released body camera footage of the moment a black man from Ohio was shot by police at least 60 times – on the final deadline they had to turn over the video to the public.
Jayland Walker, 25, was killed by Akron police after officers tried to stop him for a traffic violation while he was driving on June 27.
The shocking footage, made public on Sunday, showed multiple officers approach Walker’s vehicle and open fire as he fled on foot. The hail of bullets sounded like ‘a whole brick of fireworks going off,’ the family’s attorney alleged.
Video from the scene also showed a gun on the front seat of Walker’s car, contradicting earlier reports that the 25-year-old had been unarmed.
The cameras captured what appeared to be a flash of a gun coming from Walker’s car during the chase. Akron police previously claimed Walker had fired a gun at officers who were pursuing him.
The medical examiner determined Walker had suffered 60 gunshot wounds during the incident, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett confirmed Sunday. The exact number of shots fired remains under investigation, but initial estimates suggested a hail of 90 bullets.
Police have released heartbreaking body camera footage of the moment Jayland Walker was shot 60 times in hail of 90 bullets on June 27
Jayland Walker, 25, was shot dead by police in Akron, Ohio after officers tried to stop him for a traffic violation
Mylett said officers rendered aid to Walker as soon as gunfire ceased, but he still died at the scene.
Eight cops were directly involved in the shooting. Mylett said they have been placed administrative leave while the Bureau of Criminal Investigation probes the incident.
The shooting was the latest in a spate of killings of black men by law enforcement in the United States that critics say are unjustified, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that ignited global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
Police released two police body-camera videos from the fatal shooting during Sunday’s press conference.
After the footage was released, the Akron NAACP held a rally and march in the downtown area.
Sunday marks the fourth day of protests calling for accountability and transparency within the Akron Police Department.
The Akron NAACP held a rally and march in downtown Sunday (pictured) after police released the body camera footage. Sunday marks the fourth day of protests calling for accountability and transparency within the Akron Police Department
A demonstrator holds a sign that reads ‘Jayland Walker was executed’ as he protests against the Akron police shooting death of Black man Jayland Walker in Akron on Sunday
One demonstrator wears a signs that reads ‘I AM NOT A THREAT’ as protests emerge on Sunday against the Akron police shooting of Jayland Walker
The first video showed cops pursuing Walker’s silver Buick on Route 8 around 12.30am in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. They attempted to pull him over for a traffic and equipment violation.
The video showed Walker’s car taking an onramp and a flash of light that Mylett said appeared to be a flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car.
A second camera recorded officers saying they heard at least one shot being fired from Walker’s vehicle. The cops follow Walker off Route 8 and continue the pursuit on the city streets.
Walker slowed down and jumped out of the car before it came to a full stop. Video then shows the 25-year-old exiting the passenger side door in a ski mask and running off.
Multiple officers run after Walker, who seemingly looked over his shoulder, while cops opened fire at him.
Mylett claims he watched the video at least 40 times and stated there are still photos showing Walker apparently reach for his waistband, turn towards cops and move his arm forward.
DailyMail.com cannot verify Mylett’s statements as Walker’s face and body were blurred out in the video at the request of his family.
Video from the scene showed a gun on the front seat of Walker’s car, contradicting earlier reports that the 25-year-old had been unarmed
Cops were pursuing Walker’s silver Buick on Route 8 around 12.30am on June 27 in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood
The video showed Walker’s car taking an onramp and a flash of light that Police Chief Stephen Mylett said appeared to be a flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car
Officers were recorded saying they heard at least one shot being fired from Walker’s vehicle. The cops follow Walker off Route 8 and continue their pursuit on the city streets
Reporters asked Mylett if officers overreacted when they open fire on Walker.
‘It was difficult to watch, and shocking,’ Mylett said Sunday, adding: ‘I’m not going to pass judgment’ until the investigation is completed.
He called for patience as the investigation continue and reiterated that any time a cop opens fire, they must ‘articulate what specific threats they were facing.’
‘When an officer makes the most critical decision in his or her life as a police officer, it doesn’t matter where in the country this happens, when they make that most critical decision to point their firearm at another human being and pull the trigger, they’ve got to be ready to explain why they did what they did,’ the chief said.
‘They need to be able to articulate what specific threats they were facing, and that goes for every round that goes down the barrel of their gun.’
Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan also commented on the footage, saying: ‘The video is heartbreaking, it’s hard to take in.’
Attorney Bobby DiCello, who represents Walker’s family, described the video as ‘brutal’ in comments published on Saturday by the Akron Beacon Journal.
He said Walker’s relatives worried that protests this weekend could turn violent.
‘We’re all bracing for the community’s response, and the one message that we have is the family does not need any more violence,’ DiCello said.
Officials joined the family on Sunday, calling for peaceful demonstrations as furious residents take to the streets.
Demonstrators embrace as they protest against the Akron police shooting death of Walker
Demonstrators protest against the Akron police shooting death of Black man Jayland Walker in Akron on Sunday
‘I praise and thank the Walker family for calling for peace,’ Mylett said. He then addressed the 25-year-old’s relatives directly: ‘I cannot imagine the sense of loss, the pain you are going through right now.
‘I want to personally thank you for the way in which you have been dealing with this situation. You have asked for peace in an environment that is rife for aggression and violence.’
Officials have said the deadly confrontation began when officers tried to stop Walker for a traffic violation while he was driving early Monday morning.
The shocking footage, made public on Sunday, showed multiple officers approach Walker’s vehicle and open fire as he fled on foot
The hail of bullets sounded like ‘a whole brick of fireworks going off,’ the family’s attorney said
Officers are seen chasing Walker after he fled during a traffic stop on June 27
Walker fled, according to the Akron Police Department, which said officers reported a gun being fired from Walker’s vehicle.
After several minutes Walker exited his vehicle and ran, while officers chased him on foot and fired at him, saying he presented a ‘deadly threat,’ the police department said in a statement on Tuesday.
Walker was pronounced dead in the parking lot where he fell. Police representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
Walker’s fiancee, Jaymeisha Beasley, 27, had died in a hit-and-run car crash a month before Walker’s killing. His family members insist he was of sound mind at the time of his death and claim Walker had no intention of harming himself or others when he was killed
DiCello said Saturday his team has not seen any evidence Walker fired a weapon and that police body-camera footage showed him running with his back to officers when they gunned him down.
‘He is just in a down sprint when he is dropped by I think the count is more than 90 shots,’ DiCello told the Beacon Journal. ‘Now how many of those land, according to our investigation right now, we’re getting details that suggest 60 to 80 wounds.’
A preliminary report from the medical examiner’s office found Walker sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head, torso and legs.
Roderick Pounds Sr., pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Akron, spoke to the news outlet during a prayer rally on Saturday after he was permitted to see the video prior to its being made public.
Pounds called the footage ‘shocking’ and said it showed Walker posed no threat when he was shot down in a manner the pastor likened to a ‘massacre.’
‘It’s barbaric,’ Pounds said in an interview with local television station WEWS-TV, noting that Walker ‘did not have a weapon when he was shot. It was in his car.’
Compounding the tragedy, Walker’s fiancee, Jaymeisha Beasley, 27, had died in a hit-and-run car crash a month before Walker’s killing.
His family members insist he was of sound mind at the time of his death and claim Walker had no intention of harming himself or others when he was killed.
The group began at Quaker Station and marched to Akron City Hall on Sunday, carrying posters and Black Lives Matter flags
Gloria Beasley, the grandmother of Jayland’s fiancee who died in May, stands with protesters on South High Street in front of the Stubbs Justice Center on Saturday in Akron, Ohio
A chalk drawing depicting Jayland Walker is seen on the sidewalk in the street in front of the Akron City Justice Center in Akron, Ohio on Saturday
Protests erupted after after police released the body camera footage of the shooting
A girl holds a sign as she protests the Akron police shooting of Black man Jayland Walker
The Akron NAACP held a rally and march in downtown Sunday after police released the body camera footage.
The group began at Quaker Station and marched to Akron City Hall, carrying posters and Black Lives Matter flags.
Akron NAACP President Judi Hill told WJW-TV: ‘We are done dying. We will not rest until there is full accountability and prosecution for this senseless murder.
‘This seething hatred, fear, and hunting down of Black men in our communities at the hands of police must end.’
Sunday marks the fourth day of protests calling for accountability and transparency within the Akron Police Department.
Attorney Bobby DiCello, right, holds up a photograph of Jayland Walker as attorney Paige White, left, comforts Jayland’s mother Pamela Walker during a news conference
Jayland Walker’s mother, Pamela, left, and his sister Jada, right, embrace in tears
