Ohio police release footage of officers killing unarmed Black man

By Mucahit Oktay

NEW YORK (AA) - Police in the US state of Ohio have released video footage showing eight officers in the city of Akron firing dozens of bullets that killed a Black man who left his car after fleeing a traffic stop.

The video recording shared by the Akron City Police Department showed the officers firing a barrage of bullets at Jayland Walker, a driver for the DoorDash food delivery service, in the early hours of June 27 as he was attempting to run from them after allegedly refusing to stop his vehicle when they tried to pull him over for unspecified traffic and vehicle violations, which led to a car chase.

As he was being pursued, the officers claimed he discharged a firearm while driving.

Walker eventually stopped his car and got out while wearing a ski mask and ran. Officers said they attempted to use stun guns to stop him but were unsuccessful.

As he was running, the police claimed he turned towards them and was preparing to shoot at them.

They then opened fire on Walker, who was actually unarmed at the time, with reports saying as many as 90 shots were fired at him. Walker suffered at least 60 bullet wounds to his face, abdomen and upper legs. When ambulance workers arrived, they reportedly found him lying on his back in handcuffs. He still had a pulse but died at the scene.

The attorney for Walker’s family, Bobby DiCello, said he was on lying the ground while officers continued to fire.

Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he did not know exactly how many shots were fired by the officers but admitted that the number could be more than 90.

Mylett described the footage of the shooting as "difficult to watch" and "shocking" while saying there was evidence that Walker used a gun from inside his vehicle during the traffic pursuit.

He added that when a police officer makes the most critical decision in his life and shoots someone, he must be prepared to account for every bullet that comes from the barrel of his gun.

The department also published an image of a gun in Walker's vehicle along with his personal belongings.

No evidence has been found that Walker, whose back was turned to the police officers chasing him, opened fire when he was shot.

Walker’s shooting caused outrage in Akron, and following protests, the police officers involved in the incident were put on administrative leave as part of standard procedure.

Protests over Walker’s killing were held Sunday in the city which were largely peaceful but escalated at nightfall, with some property destruction. Police used teargas to disperse the demonstrators and officials set a curfew between 9 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday for downtown Akron.