Video & Photos shows Ohio officers killed unarmed Black man in hail of bullets

Just so y’all know, “placed on administrative leave” is standard and often required under most department policies so the investigation can be conducted. Also, the defense lawyer is missing the fact that Jayland was running away while ignoring all officers lawful orders after already resisting arrest, then stopped and turned to face the officers while moving into a firing position. Which is why they all synonymously saw the same stance and shot the suspect who had been armed and already shot at them. Graham v Connor is the exact reason why this shooting is lawful. The officers thought he was armed and we have to judge this case through that lens of “what was objectively reasonable for the officer to know and think at the time” per Graham v Connor’s court case

Not justifying the actions of either side. This is my perspective after reading the whole story.

Walker was signaled to pull over for a traffic violation, he refused. Already a bad idea and that's going to antagonize a police officer. On top of that, he stuck his weapon out his driver's side window and fired upon the officer. Easy way to sign your own death warrant. Understandably, the officer radios to the other patrol units that he's in a chase with an armed suspect. This attracts every cop in the vicinity, as you would expect. So by the time this becomes a foot chase, there are roughly 13 officers in pursuit. They knew nothing about the suspect outside of the fact that he was armed and evading authority. He emerges from the vehicle wearing a ski mask, running from police. The police don't know he's left his handgun in the car, they have no way of knowing that. They have no idea what he even looks like, he's wearing a full face mask. As he's running, he turns and raises his arm towards an officer. At this point, each officer is operating with tunnel vision. They don't know how many other officers are around them, they just see a threat. They open fire. Was the number of rounds fired excessive? Completely. Were any of you there in their shoes? Nope. In real life, people don't fall after one shot unless that shot is extremely well placed. If you've never seen body cam footage from other incidents, it's also worth noting that people will get insane adrenaline rushes after falling down and charge officers (this is why downed suspects are placed in handcuffs, even after they appear dead). After one or two shots of 9mm without ear pro, your hearing is so muffled you can't hear anything. Stack all of these factors up on top of each other, Walker did absolutely everything wrong in his interaction with police. Did he deserve to die? Absolutely not. He just didn't have to escalate it like he did.

Shame on KTLA for titling this video the way that they did. Classic racebaiting. As I previously mentioned, you can't tell the race of Walker at the time of the shooting.

AKRON, Ohio, July 3 (CP) - Video released on Sunday showed eight police officers in Akron, Ohio, were involved in a shooting that killed an unarmed Black man whose body was found with some 60 gunshot wounds after he fled a traffic stop last week.

Police played multiple videos at a news conference, one of which they said showed a gunshot being fired from the car driven by Jayland Walker, 25. He fled in his car after officers attempted to pull him over for a minor traffic violation.

After a chase of several minutes, Walker jumped out of the car and ran from police, the video showed. Police say it appears he was turning toward officers, who at the time believed he was armed. A gun was later recovered from his car.

On Sunday, the attorney for the Walker family, Bobby DiCello, told reporters he was "very concerned" about the police accusation that Walker had fired at officers from his car, adding that there was no justification for his violent death.

"They want to turn him into a masked monster with a gun," DiCello said. "I ask you, as he's running away, what is reasonable? To gun him down? No, that's not reasonable."

Akron police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not clear how many bullets struck Walker, but the body camera video shows police firing scores of rounds at him.

The medical examiner is still determining how many of the 60 wounds were entrance versus exit wounds, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said.

Mylett said officers had tried to give Walker first aid after he was shot, but he was declared dead at the scene.

The eight officers directly involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, Mylett said, and they have not made any individual statements.

The officers said they had believed Walker was "moving into firing position" when he got out of his car, prompting them to react to him as a potential threat, Mylett said.

Pressed by reporters for evidence that Walker had fired a gun from his car, Mylett said police had returned to the area where they believe Walker had fired from his car after the incident and found a bullet casing "consistent with a firearm that Mr. Walker had in his vehicle."

Police also pointed to what appears to be a flash of light on the driver's side of Walker's car in the video, which they said was a muzzle flash.

Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, has not confirmed any of these details.

A Black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a hail of bullets, but officers believed he had shot at them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was preparing to fire again, authorities said.

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Akron police released video Sunday of the pursuit and killing of Jayland Walker, 25. The mayor called the shooting “heartbreaking” while pleading for peace and patience from the community.

It was not yet clear how many shots were fired by the eight officers who were involved in the shooting, but Walker sustained more than 60 wounds. An attorney for Walker's family said Walker was on the ground while officers continued to fire.

Demonstrators marched through the city and gathered in front of the Akron justice center after the video was released.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that Walker’s death "was murder. Point blank.” Officers attempted to stop Walker's car early Monday for unspecified traffic and equipment violations, but less than a minute into a pursuit the sound of a shot was heard from the car and a transportation department camera captured what appeared to be a muzzle flash coming from the vehicle, Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said.

That changed the nature of the case from “a routine traffic stop to now a public safety issue," he said. A few minutes later the car slowed and Walker emerged from the still-moving vehicle wearing a ski mask and fled on foot, police said.

A handgun, a loaded magazine and a wedding ring were found on the seat and a casing consistent with the weapon was later found at the point where officers believed a shot came from the vehicle. After an unsuccessful attempt to use stun devices, the foot chase continued to a parking lot, at which point a crescendo of bullets can be heard.

Mylett said he has watched the video dozens of times and Walker's actions are hard to distinguish, but a still photo seems to show him “going down to his waist area" and another appears to show him turning toward an officer. He said a third picture “captures a forward motion of his arm." “Each officer independent of each other related that they felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was motioning and moving into a firing position," he said.

Mylett said an officer firing at someone has to be “ready to explain why they did what they did, they need to be able to articulate what specific threats they were facing ... and they need to be held to account.” But he said he is withholding judgment on their actions until they give their statements, and he said the union president has told him that all are “fully cooperating” with the investigation.

Police said more than 60 wounds were found on Walker's body but further investigation will be needed to determine exactly how many rounds the eight officers fired and how many times Walker was hit. Officers provided aid, and one can be heard saying he still had a pulse, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Mylett said.