By Forward Times Staff
Cops who killed an unarmed 25-year-old Black man, Jayland Walker, by shooting him 43 times last June in Akron, Ohio, did not violate the law, even after the medical examiner’s office ruled the murder was a homicide.
Steve Mylett, the Akron chief of police, found that the officer’s actions during the fatal encounter were “objectively reasonable.”
His ruling came on November 29, more than a year after Jaylan Walker was gunned down by police during a traffic stop on June 27, 2022.
The decision to clear the cops was already signed, sealed, and delivered to the anger of some.
On April 17, 2023, a special grand jury in Ohio declined to indict the Akron police officers after a car chase and foot chase last year.
The grand jury concluded the officers were legally justified in their use of force against Jayland Walker, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Following the shooting, Walker was put in handcuffs by police and was found with his hands cuffed behind his back when EMTs arrived on the scene.
According to police, officers attempted to administer first aid to Walker after he was shot many times. Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police shot Walker 17 times in his pelvis.
One bullet struck his face and fractured his jaw.
Eight gunshot wounds injured his arms and his right hand.
Five gunshot wounds injured his knees, right lower leg, and right foot, according to Lisa Kohler, MD, the Summit County Medical Examiner.
No firearm was found on or near Walker’s body, though the cops on the scene all claimed that they saw him reach for a weapon or for what they assumed was a weapon. No illegal drugs were found in his body.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide seven months after the deadly shooting.
Eight cops, including a Black officer, fired 94 shots within 6.7 seconds at Jayland Walker. Three cops fired 18 shots each. But the deadly shootings complied with the department’s rules, said Police Chief Mylott.
Walker worked as a delivery driver when police stopped him for a traffic violation because his license plate was broken.
Gun residue shows he did not have a gun in his hands. A gun was found in his car near his wedding ring.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide.
Police killings over minor traffic violations has become routine by cops. Police often argue that low-level stops and the searches they conduct during those stops allow them to root out dangerous crimes by identifying guns and drugs.
However, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, data shows that searches that begin with traffic stops seldom yield contraband.
Encounters with police during traffic stops, including minor infractions, disproportionately harm people of color, according to data collected by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group, which argues that armed police should not be involved in the majority of these cases.
Community organizations want the U.S. Justice Department to investigate Walker’s murder. Walker’s family has filed a $45 million lawsuit against the city of Akron and the police department. The cops involved in Walker’s murder are back on duty.
