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- BBC News World
33 minutes
image source, Archyde.com
Demonstration in Akron on Sunday.
Police in the United States on Sunday released video of a chase in Akron, Ohio, that ended with the death of a black man who was shot dozens of times by pursuing officers.
Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he did not know the exact number of shots fired at Jayland Walker, but the medical examiner’s report indicates that more than 60 wounds.
That agency believes that the 25-year-old opened fire first, for which the officials, involved in a routine traffic inspection on the night of June 27, feared for their lives.
Walker was not armed when he ran away from his car, but police say a gun was later found inside the vehicle.
Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan urged Akron residents to be patient as protests have begun.
“the video is heartbreakingit’s hard to take in,” Horrigan said, following the images were released.
State Attorney General Dave Yost has promised an “expert, full and fair investigation” by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, while Akron police are conducting a separate internal investigation into whether officers violated departmental rules or policies.
The eight officers involved in the shooting, seven of whom are white and one black, are on paid administrative leave.
image source, Archyde.com
Police released footage of a gun in a car seat
Derrick Johnson, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), described Walker’s death as a “murder. Point-blank range.”
After Walker’s car stopped, a shot was heard from inside and a traffic camera captured what appeared to be a flash of lightning, Mylett was quoted as saying by the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Police body cameras show a person with a balaclava getting out of the car and running into a parking lot, being chased by officers for regarding 10 seconds before they opened fire.
An agent first tried to use a stun gun, but was unsuccessful, the agency reported.
Mylett noted that one still photo appeared to show Walker “going down to the waist area” and another appeared to show him turning toward an officer. A third image “captures a forward movement of his arm,” he said.
In addition to the gun found with a magazine in a car seat, a bullet casing that matched the gun was found nearby, police said.
Protesters marched peacefully around Akron and gathered in front of the city’s justice center following the video was released.
The family’s attorney, Bobby DiCello, said police shot Walker even when he was on the ground and handcuffed him before attempting to give him first aid.
Walker’s family said in a statement to CBS News: “Anger is okay. Anger is understandable. Violence is not. Let us uphold the dignity of Jayland’s life while peacefully demanding justice for him.”
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