The mayor of Akron, Ohio, has released the gruesome bodycam that shows multiple police officers firing 90 shots during the shooting death of unarmed Black motorist Jayland Walker on June 26, 2022.
Mayor Dan Horrigan announced that the eight officers involved in the furious fusillade of bullets fired into Walker hit Walker 60 times and have been placed on paid administrative leave, USA Today reports.
The rest of the Akron Police Department was out in force keeping control of protests and marches that broke out on Sunday, July 3, 2022, not long after the very vivid video was released.
Officers were reportedly attempting to execute a routine traffic stop on Walker but he failed to pull over. He allegedly led officers on a short police chase in the North Hill section of Akron, which is about 30 miles south of Cleveland. During the chase, officers “reported a firearm being discharged from the suspect’s vehicle,” according to Newsweek.
At some point, Walker reportedly exited his vehicle with a ski mask on and led cops on a short chase. Walker then reportedly turned around and officers, perceiving a threat, fired on Walker, fatally wounding him. While he was unarmed during the foot chase, cops report that they retrieved a firearm from his vehicle.
The shooting is being investigated by the Criminal Bureau of Investigation and the State Attorney General’s Office.
“This is going to be a brutal video,” Attorney Bobby DiCello, representing Walker’s family, told USA Today. “It’s going to stir up some passion. It’s going to make people uneasy,”
During the press conference after the incident, Mayor Horrigan called for calmness while the investigation is being completed.
“There is no doubt that the video you just watched is extremely disturbing, and will stir a lot of emotions, and feel shocking and hard to take in. But we are collectively calling for peace this afternoon,” Horrigan said, according to USA Today.
In a joint statement obtained by the newspaper, Horrigan and Police Chief Stephen L. Mylett said the shooting death devastates the city. “Tragically, we are once again faced with a young man, with his life before him, gone too soon. Every single life is precious, and the loss of any life is absolutely devastating to our entire community.”
