After the death of a black man in a hail of police bullets in Ohio, the US Attorney General has pledged a full investigation. “People want and deserve answers, and they should get them,” Attorney General Dave Yost said on Sunday (local time). The police will investigate “completely, fairly and competently”.
Police in the city of Akron on Sunday released several videos of an operation on June 27 in which a black man was killed. Body camera footage shows 25-year-old Jayland Walker being killed by dozens of gunshots after a police chase – officials say the body had 60 gunshot wounds. At the time, police said, he was not armed.
Minister Yost warned against hasty conclusions. Body camera recordings are only part of the overall picture. He assured that the investigation file would be published after the case was closed.
“We do not know the exact number of shots fired,” Police Commissioner Stephen Mylett said. The media spoke of around 90 shots. The police chief emphasized that this was quite realistic.
Fatal police operations of a similar nature occur again and again in the USA. The case of George Floyd, who died in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis in May 2020, caused worldwide horror. There have been major protests against police violence and racism in the United States.
According to the police, officers in Akron wanted to stop the 25-year-old Walker for a traffic offense. But he fled in his car. According to the police, he is said to have fired a shot at the same time. When he finally continued the escape on foot, he was wearing a ski mask, it was said. The police first tried to stop Walker with Tasers and only then fired.
Protests broke out in Akron over the deadly police operation. Local broadcaster WKYC reported that police used tear gas outside the city’s Justice Center late Sunday night after protesters knocked down barriers there. Television footage showed demonstrators holding signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Jail Killer Cops.”
Mayor Dan Horrigan called on the people of the city to remain peaceful. He called the police body camera footage “heartbreaking.” “It’s very hard to take,” he said at a news conference.
The dead man’s mother, Pamela Walker, also spoke on local television. “All I can say is that I’ve never been so sad in my life,” she said. “Why did this happen – in such a horrible way?”
Police initially said in a press release last week that the suspect’s behavior had led officers to believe he posed a deadly threat to them.
Police Chief Mylett said Sunday that he had looked at video footage of the incident numerous times and it was difficult to tell what was happening. “It appears that Mr Walker turned to face the officer and there is a still showing his arm moving forward,” he said. The police then fired. At the time, Walker was not armed. A gun was later found in his car.
Eight police officers were “directly involved” in the operation. They have been placed on leave while the incident is being investigated, Mylett said. “A routine traffic stop that would likely result in a warning or a ticket turned into a car chase,” Mylett said.
“His body is riddled with bullets, his face is riddled with bullets (…) it’s an incredible sight,” family attorney Bobby DiCello told the Beacon Journal. In his 22 years as a lawyer, he has never experienced anything like this.
