Officers placed on leave
Black man, 25, shot dead in Ohio for traffic violation
An unspecified number of police officers in Akron, Ohio, were placed on administrative leave after the fatal shooting of a 25-yearold Black man who police said continued to drive after they tried to pull him over for an unspecified traffic violation.
Officials in Akron were bracing for protests that could follow the release on Sunday of footage of the shooting, which took place after the driver, Jayland Walker, exited his vehicle and fled on foot to a parking lot early Monday.
A lawyer for Walker’s family said the footage shows that he was running away, unarmed, when police officers fired at him more than 90 times.
The lawyer, Bobby DiCello, reviewed footage of the shooting Thursday. His legal team also visited the medical examiner’s office
Friday and reviewed the autopsy, which has not been finalized. DiCello said it showed that Walker was struck at least 60 times.
The Summit County medical examiner could not be reached Saturday.
“I’ve been a trial lawyer for 22 years, and I’ve never seen anything remotely close to what that video is going to show,” DiCello said of the footage to be
released. He said eight officers were involved in the shooting, although authorities did not specify a number.
A police statement, released Tuesday, said officers tried to stop Walker for an unspecified traffic violation around 12:30 a.m. After Walker did not stop, officers continued to pursue his vehicle, police said.
Police said Walker discharged
a gun while he was driving, but the statement did not specify how they knew that. After a few minutes, Walker slowed his car and exited it. Officers chased him on foot into a parking lot, police said.
The statement said officers opened fire after “actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them.”