AKRON, Ohio – A 25-year-old black man who was killed last week by police in Akron, Ohio, suffered more than 60 gunshot wounds but was not armed at the time, the police chief said Sunday.
That detail was among the facts that began to emerge in the killing of the man, Jayland Walker, who died last Monday after fleeing police during what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop. At a news conference Sunday, police released body camera footage of the chase and shooting that showed the officers’ actions but deepened many questions surrounding his death, which is still under investigation.
Mr Walker had one driving record and no criminal record. Police said they initially pulled him over for an equipment violation and a traffic violation.
Eight officers who were directly involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave per department policy, police said.
After the videos were released, hundreds of protesters marched in downtown Akron demanding justice for Mr. Walker and condemning police brutality, while Mr. Walker’s family urged the community to remain peaceful.
In one video, at one point a cracking sound can be heard and an officer reports gunfire coming from the door of Mr. Walker’s car. The shot itself is not visible from the footage, but footage from the outside of the car was shown during the press conference which appeared to capture a flash coming from Mr Walker’s driver’s door.
The police said at the press conference that a gun was later found in Mr. Walker’s car and that a shell casing was found where they said he fired, which matched the weapon found in Mr. Walker’s vehicle. A still photo released by police shows a gun on the seat, along with a gold ring. Mr. Walker’s girlfriend was recently killed in a car accident.
Bobby DiCello, a lawyer for the Walker family, said Mr. Walker had only recently acquired the gun. “Jayland was not familiar with firearms and we don’t know if it was an accidental discharge,” he said. “But police found no bullets in the gun when they found it in the car after his death.”
At the press conference, police did not comment on whether the gun in the car was unloaded, but said there was a loaded magazine on the seat.
As the chase continued – lasting more than seven minutes – the footage shows an officer saying Mr Walker’s car was slowing down. (Mr. Walker’s car had reached speeds of more than 50 mph at times, going through residential neighborhoods.) Seconds later, Mr. Walker, wearing a ski mask, exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot.
The chase is brief and the footage appears to show several officers chasing Mr Walker with guns drawn in a nearby car park while shouting at him. Officers initially used Tasers but were unsuccessful, police said. A few seconds later, the officers opened fire and Mr. Walker fell to the ground.
Steven L. Maillett, the Akron police chief, said he was not sure how many total shots were fired at Mr. Walker. He could not confirm the exact number of bullets that struck him (although he cited the wounds reported by the medical examiner), but expected the number to be “very large.”
Chief Maillett said the officers allege Mr Walker quickly turned towards the officers and made a motion towards the “waist area”. However, the chief confirmed Mr Walker was unarmed after running from his car.
But Mr. DiCello said that in an earlier meeting that included the chief and the family, the chief said he had seen no evidence to suggest the officers’ lives were in danger.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating. Once that is complete, the case will be turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for review.
Whether to charge the officers involved with a crime will be up to prosecutors, but charges are rarely filed in such police-involved shootings. If a gun was fired during the pursuit, that fact could weigh heavily on the decision whether to prosecute and could lend some credence to the officers’ claims that they were in danger.
Mr DiCello criticized the way police had introduced Mr Walker at the news conference. “They want to turn him into a masked monster with a gun,” he said. Attorneys for the family also questioned the city’s release of only portions of the press conference videos and called for the release of the entire video.
Police said they plan to release all body camera footage captured by officers during the shooting. This, they said, will include footage of the eight officers directly involved in the shooting, along with five others who were at the scene.
The release of the video Sunday heightened tensions that were already high in Akron over the shooting. A day after more than 100 demonstrators gathered right outside downtown, chanting and holding signs, the protests continued with hundreds taking part in a march and rally outside City Hall organized by the Akron NAACP
“It just keeps repeating itself, the same thing, over and over,” said Chris Mercury, 41, an African-American barbershop owner in Akron. He added that people in the state will continue to think that the man is to blame for this happening.
“And at the end of the day,” said his wife, Monique, who owns a fashion retail store, “the threat to people who were in the same situation as Walker, the danger is imminent no matter what they do.”
She added that “people of all races and backgrounds need to realize that this is happening and it just seems to be getting worse.”
The Walker family urged the city not to resort to violence.
“If you can do anything for the family, please give peace, give dignity and give Jayland a chance at justice,” Mr DiCello said on Sunday. “My clients are private individuals. Jayland was a private child. He was not married. He was not a criminal. He was obviously in pain. He didn’t deserve to die.
Kim Barker and Steve Eder contributed reporting.
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