Jayland Walker was shot dead in late June. Now the videos of the police operation have been published. “It’s very hard to take,” says the mayor.
A police operation in which a black man was shot has caused outrage in the United States. Police in Akron, Ohio, released several videos of the June 27 operation on Sunday.
The officers gave a chase that evening with 25-year-old Jayland Walker. When the man finally got out of his car to continue on foot, police officers fired dozens of shots. According to police, the body of the 25-year-old has 60 gunshot wounds. It was unclear exactly how often he was hit, since it could also be a matter of entry and exit wounds from bullets.
Previously, there had been protests in Akron for a few days. 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 press conference.
According to the police, the officers 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. When he finally continued the escape on foot, he was wearing a ski mask, it was said. The police first tried to stop him with Tasers and then shot him.
“It appears that Mr Walker turned to face the officer and there is a still showing his arm moving forward,” Police Commissioner Stephen Mylett said. “We do not know the exact number of shots fired.” Eight police officers were “directly involved”. At the time, Walker, 25, was not armed. A gun was found in his car.
Mylett said he was still taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries. “A routine traffic stop that would likely result in a warning or a ticket turned into a chase.”
In the United States, deadly police operations of a similar nature occur with sad regularity. The case of George Floyd is representative of this: In May 2020, the African American died in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis. The case led to nationwide protests against police violence and racism.
