An unspecified number of officers were placed on administrative leave after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man by Akron, Ohio Police, who they say refused to stop his vehicle after they attempted to pull him over for a traffic stop.
25-year-old Jayland Walker has been the center of racial controversy around the country after he was gunned down by officers, who fired more than 90 shots at the Uber Eats driver, hitting him at least 60 times.
Protests have erupted in Akron following the release of the video footage, which shows Walker exiting his vehicle and fleeing on foot, unarmed. The family lawyer, Bobby DiCello, said of the footage to be released, “I’ve been a trial lawyer for 22 years and I’ve never seen anything remotely close to what that video is going to show.”
n initial police statement, which was released on Tuesday, said officers tried to stop Mr. Walker for an unspecified traffic violation while he was driving at around 12:30 a.m. After Mr. Walker did not stop, officers pursued his vehicle. The police said Mr. Walker fired a gun while he was driving, but the statement did not state how that was confirmed After a few minutes, Mr. Walker slowed down his car and exited it while it was still moving; officers then chased him on foot into a parking lot.
The statement said officers opened fire after “actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them.” “I’ve met personally with the chief and he has told me that he hasn’t found that evidence,” Mr. DiCello said. He said that the police chief told him that moments before the shooting began, two officers tried to use stun guns on Mr. Walker and missed.
