Jayland Walker Sustained at Least 60 Gunshot Wounds, According to the Akron Police Chief, and Authorities Have Released Bodycam Footage!

By jaslin Last updated Jul 5, 2022

Akron, Ohio, police officers shot and killed Jayland Walker during a chase last week. A medical examiner’s report showed that he had at least 60 gunshot wounds, said Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett on Sunday.

On Sunday, almost a week after the fatal shooting, city officials showed the shooting footage from the police body camera for the first time. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations is investigating why a Black man who wasn’t armed was shot. The video raises more questions about what happened (BCI).

Police said the shooting occurred after Walker, 25, fled as officers tried to initiate a traffic stop for traffic and equipment violations on Monday, June 27.

Police say that after a car chase, Walker got out of his car and ran away on foot. Officers thought Walker was reaching for his waist, and Mylett said, “They felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was making gestures and moving into a shooting position.”

Mylett said Sunday that Walker was not armed, though.

During the vehicle pursuit, police said, a gunshot was fired from Walker’s car, police said.

Police said that about 40 seconds after Walker drove away from them in his car, “a sound that sounds like a gunshot can be heard on the officers’ body cameras.” At the same time as the sound, police said, “a flash of light” could be seen on the driver’s side of the car.

At a news conference on Sunday, Mylett said, “That changes the whole point of the traffic stop.” “It used to be a simple traffic stop, but now it’s a matter of public safety. And then the chase kept going.”

Police said that after the shooting, they found a handgun, a loaded magazine, and a gold ring in Walker’s car.

Mylett said that eight officers were “directly involved in the shooting,” and all of them have been put on paid administrative leave because that’s what the department’s rules say they should do.

Mylett said that the BCI, which is looking into the fatal shooting, has not yet confirmed how many times Walker was shot and how many rounds were fired.

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“However, I think that number will be high based on the video,” he said. “Many shots were fired.”

Mylett said officers retrieved a shell casing near the scene of the attempted traffic stop that was “consistent with the firearm that Mr. Walker had in his vehicle. The BCI will determine whether or not that casing came from the gun or not.”

He also said that a traffic camera was able to catch “We thought we saw what looked like a muzzle flash coming from the car. Again, it will be up to the BCI to decide if that is true or not.”

The Akron Beacon Journal, which is a partner of CNN affiliate WEWS, said that Walker died from multiple gunshot wounds to the face, abdomen, and upper legs.

The Journal was allowed to look at an investigative worksheet at the medical examiner’s office. It said that the worksheet “showed that Walker was seen lying on his back and in handcuffs when an investigator from the medical examiner’s office arrived at the shooting scene.”

Walker family Calls for Peace, Justice

Robert Dejournett, a relative of Walker’s and a pastor at Akron’s St. Ashworth Temple Church of God In Christ, told CNN’s Polo Sandoval that Walker’s family wants him to be remembered as a young man who loved life and had a lot of fun.

Dejournett said, “We are God-fearing people who believe in God, and we want to show that even in this process.” “We don’t want riots or anything like that to happen.”

Dejournett said that the family hopes the shooting will lead to changes in the way things are done.

Dejournett said, “We want to take that and use it to bring about systemic change.” “We want to be treated like people,” he said. “You know, young Black men are afraid of the police, and that shouldn’t be the case.”

Attorneys for Jayland Walker’s family held a news conference soon after police released the video. They said that while the family wants answers from the police, they also desire the public to “give peace, give dignity, and give justice a chance — for Joyland.”

“Every time I watch the video, it makes me feel worse,” said lawyer Ken Abbado. “Every time I see something move, hear a gunshot, or see Jayland lying on the ground, it’s more horrifying.”

Abbado said that the clip is “a lot more than simply “hard to see.” It should never, ever, ever have to be seen.”

Another family lawyer, Bobby DiCello, said that Walker “had never broken the law a day in his life, no crimes of any kind.” DiCello said that Walker’s behavior on Monday “would be a sign that he was upset or scared about something.”

Police Union Supports the Officers

According to a statement released by the Fraternal Order of Police Akron Lodge No. 7 on Sunday, the Akron Police union thinks the officers who fired shots were right to do so, “including the number of shots fired.”

“The decision to use deadly force and the number of shots fired is in line with the use of force protocols and the training of officers,” the statement said.

The statement said that each officer is “fully cooperating” with the investigation being done by the BCI on its own.

The city of Akron Asks the Public to Remain Calm

Before the video was shown to the public, officials in Akron asked people to be patient and let the investigation happen while protesting peacefully if they wanted to.

At a news conference, before the video was shown, Mayor Dan Horrigan said, “I won’t sugarcoat it: the video you are about to see is heartbreaking and hard to take in.”

The mayor said that people in Akron have the right to protest. “But I hope the community can agree that violence and destruction are not the answer,” he said, asking that demonstrations stay peaceful.
He said, “Please be patient and let the attorney general do their job.”

Leaders of the city stressed that the video was released because of a new city law that says any video of a police officer using force must be released within seven days of the event.

Mylett said that the city welcomes protests that are peaceful but is ready if they turn violent.

Mylett said, “We have made a plan to manage protests in this city and give people a safe place to do so.”

“And in case that it turns to a situation where it’s no longer peaceful, we have an operations plan in place for that as well, and I’m not going to discuss any of the details about that.”

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