On June 27, Jayland Walker, an unarmed black man, was shot 60 times by police officers in Akron, Ohio. Officials say they attempted to pull over Walker for a traffic and equipment violation, but according to body cam footage, Walker didn’t stop.
And so began a car pursuit that would turn deadly. Police claim Walker shot at them during the chase, but his family says bodycam footage shows something completely different.
Allegations of doctored footage, staged photos, and evidence manipulation have plagued the case from the very beginning. But what really led to the police shooting death of Jayland Walker?
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Jayland’s Family: “We Don’t Know What Happened. And We’d Like To Know”
Family members have lashed out at the Akron Police Department for trying to spin a narrative and make Jayland out to be a monster.
Jayland’s aunt, Lajuana Walker-Dawkins, said late last month, that the family still doesn’t know exactly what happened, and that the family is looking for answers.
“We’d just like you to know who Jayland was. We don’t want him to be portrayed as some thug. We want honor and dignity at any cost.” She added, “We don’t know what happened. And we’d like to know.”
What is known is that Walker was unarmed when he fled the vehicle, but police photographed a handgun and a wedding ring they reportedly located in the driver’s seat of the car after the pursuit.
However, an attorney for Walker’s family, Bobby DiCello, said preliminary reports stated the gun was found in the backseat of the vehicle, not the front seat, and noted how the gun and wedding ring appeared to be carefully staged in said photo. casting some doubt in his mind on the veracity of the picture.
Further undermining the police department’s official narrative of the shooting death is the fact that Walker’s sister, Jada, recently revealed to ABC News that much of the officer’s dash-cam footage from the beginning of the traffic stop remains missing.
Walker’s sister added that the police’s official version of the fatal shooting is completely at odds with the brother she knew.
“That’s not Jayland,” his sister told ABC News. “And I can’t accept (the police’s version) that at all.”
Protests Over Jayland’s Death, Eight Officers On Leave Pending Investigation
WKYC reports that the 25-year-old has no past criminal records besides speeding tickets. Protests against the Akron Police Department have persisted in the wake of Jayland’s death, and his family, friends, and legal representatives have since held a press conference to speak out against the department’s narrative of the deadly shooting.
In casting further doubt on the veracity of the Akron Police Department’s case is the fact that the incident has already produced a number of police officers in Ohio – eight in total – who have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, Jayland Walker’s death has been continued to be ruled a homicide. A medical examiner report could take weeks, according to authorities.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
