The mayor of Akron, Ohio, on Sunday, issued calls for calm after a video clip was released showing police shooting a black man whose lawyer said he sustained 60 bullet wounds.
“Many will want to express their discontent in public, and I fully support our residents’ right to peaceful assembly,” Mayor Dan Horrigan said.
During a press conference, he expressed his “great sadness,” adding: “But I hope that people will agree that violence and destruction are not the solution.”
On Sunday, police released police cam footage showing officers firing dozens of shots at 25-year-old Gayland Walker, who tried to flee his car after being stopped by police last week.
Jayland Walker Video #jaylandwalker #AkronOhio #jaylandwalkervideo pic.twitter.com/Pg6HdX28Dn
– RiskTakerCeo (@DAT_BOI_JU) July 3, 2022
Akron Police Chief Stephen Maillett said at the conference that he did not know the exact number of shots fired at Walker, but added that the coroner’s report indicated more than 60 injuries to the body of the young man whose death sparked outrage and demands for accountability.
The police chief described the footage, which was blurred, as “difficult to watch” and “shocking”.
He added that he would postpone announcing his opinion on the case until hearing the concerned officers, according to the newspaper Washington PostBut he explained that the evidence indicated that Walker fired a pistol from inside his car.
“When an officer makes the most important decision in his life as a police officer, which is to shoot a weapon at another human being, he must be prepared to explain why he did what he did. He must be able to articulate the specific threats he faced.”
He added, “This applies to every bullet that comes out of the weapon. Accountability must be given.”
Eight officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation by the Ohio Criminal Investigations Bureau.
The city police said in a previous statement that the young driver shot its officers during the chase.
She added that “the actions of the suspect led the officers to realize that there was a mortal threat” and “they fired from their weapons, killing the suspect” during his escape. She stated that she had found a weapon in the car that the young man had left.
Police said, according to the website The Daily Beast The police tried unsuccessfully to stop Walker with tasers.
Walker then “turned swiftly toward the pursuing officers”, and eight policemen shot him.
Walker’s death was announced in the parking lot. Among the photos that police showed on Sunday, a picture of a pistol they said they found in his car.
Lawyers for the Gayland Walker family said Akron police were “painting a negative picture” of the black man. Akron residents joined the family to demand accountability for his death in the third police shooting in the northeastern Ohio city since last December.