Heated protests broke out in downtown Akron, Ohio, on Sunday, raging late into the night, after police released graphic body-camera video showing a black DoorDash delivery person. Jayland Walker was shot dozens of times when he tried to run away from a traffic stop.
Protests have been held around Akron since the police shooting of Walker June 27, but they intensified on Sunday after police released the video, with Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan calling it “painful” heart”.
Video shows police in riot gear and shields confronting protesters, who can be heard chanting, “F – k police”, “Justice for Jayland” and “We done dead” reported News 5 Cleveland.
Other videos depict police officers deploying what appears to be a dozen canisters of tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds after someone knocked over fences around the Akron Justice Center, according to WKYC.
During the unrest, protesters blocked traffic in the Highland and West Akron Square areas of the city, and someone set fire to a pile of rubble and smashed the windows of plows. used to close the street.
At a news conference held on Sunday to release the body camera video, authorities admitted that Walker, 25, was unarmed when police chased him by foot and killed him with a volleys of bullets, but they believe he fired at them. earlier from his car and feared he was about to shoot again.
It’s unclear how many shots were fired by the eight officers involved in the incident, but Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said the number could be more than 90, with Walker suffering at least 60 bullet wounds – including after as he lay on the ground, according to an attorney for his family.
A medical examiner who arrived at the scene found Walker hunched over, according to ME’s “spreadsheet” in the case, Beacon Magazine reported. He is said to have wounds to his face, torso and shins.
Officers attempted to tow Walker’s car around 12:30 p.m. last Monday for an unidentified traffic and equipment violation, but he refused to stop, prompting officers to give chase.
Police say Walker fired a shot from his vehicle during the pursuit, and the transport department’s camera captured what appeared to be a flash of gunfire coming from the vehicle.
That changed the nature of the incident from “a regular stopover to a public safety issue,” Mylett said.
Full-body camera video shows what happened after the chase, which lasted about six minutes. Several officers, shouting with guns drawn, approached the slowing car while walking across the curb and onto the sidewalk.
Pedestrians wearing ski masks slither out of the passenger doors and run towards the parking lot. Police chased him for about 10 seconds before officers opened fire from multiple directions, in a salvo that lasted 6 or 7 seconds.
At least one officer attempted to use the stun gun first, but that was unsuccessful, police said.
Mylett said Walker’s actions were hardly distinguishable on real-time video, but one still image appeared to show him “going down to his waistline” and another appeared to show him I turned to an officer. He said the third photo “captures the forward movement of his arm.”
In a statement shared Sunday with reporters, the local police union said the officers thought there was an immediate threat of serious harm, and they believed their actions and the The number of shots will be determined in accordance with their training and protocol. The union said officers were cooperating with the investigation.
Police said more than 60 injuries were found on Walker’s body, but further investigation is needed to determine exactly how many shots officers fired and how many times Walker was hit.
Footage released by police ends with the gunshots of officers and shows nothing of what happened next. Officers performed first aid and could hear people saying Walker still had a pulse, but he was later pronounced dead, Mylett said.
Mylett declined to say Sunday whether the shooting was justified, adding that when an officer “makes the most important decision of his life” and points a weapon at someone and opens fire, they had to explain “every time you lower the barrel of the gun. “
A handgun, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were apparently found in the car seat. A casing matching the weapon was later found in the area where officers believe a shot was fired from the vehicle.
Attorney General Dave Yost vowed to conduct a “complete, fair, and professional investigation” by the Ohio Department of Criminal Investigation and warned that “body-worn camera footage is only one view of the photograph.” panorama”.
Akron Police is conducting a separate internal investigation into whether the officers violated department regulations or policies.
The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice in such cases.
Seven officers are white and one black, according to the ministry. Their service with Akron police ranged from one and a half to six years, and none of them had a record of disciplinary action, grounded complaints or fatal shootings, it said.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that Walker’s death was not self-defense, but “murder. Shoot straight.”
Walker’s family is calling for accountability but also peace, their attorney said. One of the attorneys, Bobby DiCello, called the police shooting outrageous and unreasonable, and said police handcuffed Walker before attempting to provide first aid.
“How to achieve this with a goal to pursue is beyond my imagination,” says DiCello.
He said Walker’s family didn’t know why he was on the run from the police. Walker is grieving the recent death of his fiancée, but his family shows no signs of worrying about it, and he’s not a criminal, DiCello said.
“They wanted to turn him into a masked monster with a gun,” DiCello said. “I ask you, when he is on the run, what makes sense? To knock him down? No, that’s not reasonable.”
The lawyer added: “I hope we remember that when Jayland ran across that parking lot, he was unarmed.”
There is a lanyard