Police said they thought Jayland Walker was reaching to his waist for a weapon when they unleashed a volley of 90 gunshots
Bodycam footage shows the moment police officers in Ohio shot Jayland Walker more than 60 times after he ran away from a traffic stop last week.
On Monday June 27, officers tried to initiate a traffic stop on Walker for traffic and equipment violations.
After a car chase, the unarmed 25-year-old fled from his car on foot. He was pursued by a number of officers, who then opened fire on the him, unleashing a volley of 90 shots.
According to autopsy evidence, more than 60 of the bullets hit Walker, who was killed.
Officers say they opened fire because they thought Walker was reaching for his waist to pull a gun on them.
Akron Police Department has now released bodycam footage of the incident, which you can see below.
Warning: graphic content
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1543650300308881408
The mayor of Akron Dan Horrigan said he is “beyond outraged and beyond shocked” at the incident.
At a press conference, he said: "I won't mince words -- the video you are about to watch is heartbreaking and is very tough to take in."
But he asked residents to "reserve full judgement until the investigation is complete."
“You’ll have to do one of the most difficult things I can ever ask somebody to do and that is to please be patient," he added.
During the conference, the bodycam footage was played by police along with footage from highway cameras.
Police claim a gunshot was fired from Walker's car during the chase.
Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said officers opened fire during the chase on foot when they "felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was motioning and moving into a firing position."
But he confirmed that Walker was not armed. A loaded handgun was found in the front seat of his car, but lawyers for Walker's family say there is no evidence he fired the weapon at any point from the vehicle.
Eight officers were "directly involved in the shooting" and they have all been placed on paid administrative leave, as per department policy.
The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).
July 4 celebrations have been cancelled in the city following the shooting, the
Independent reports.
https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1543823166073556992
Lawyer Bobby DiCello is representing Walker's family, and said he had "never in my life seen anything like this," telling the
Akron Beacon Journal that the footage as "very, very disturbing."
He also called on community members to keep any protests peaceful.
“We’re all bracing for the community’s response and the one message that we have is the family does not need any more violence. It needs peace, and it wants peace, and it wants the process to play out.”
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