By Doha Madani—
NBC News
Ohio police released body camera footage and additional details about the shooting of Jayland Walker on Sunday, showing the moment eight officers fired a hail of bullets at the 25-year-old black man as he fled.
Akron police officers said they attempted to pull Walker over last week for an unspecified traffic violation and were forced to give chase when he failed to stop, according to a statement from the department.
Police said officers "reported a firearm discharged from the suspect vehicle" during their pursuit of him Monday morning.
Walker apparently jumped out of his car and officers chased him on foot, police said.
Body camera footage of officers involved in the shooting of Jayland Walker. Akron Police
"The suspect's actions caused officers to perceive that he posed a life-threatening threat to them," police said.
“In response to this threat,
the officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect,
” she added.
The chasing
Police said during Sunday's news conference that officers chased Walker's car down the freeway for several minutes before exiting off a ramp.
Following a chase through city streets, Walker slowed his vehicle and exited through the passenger-side door as the car continued to move, police said.
The officers tried to stop Walker using stun guns and
opened fire after the stun guns failed,
according to the department's account.
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett did not know the traffic or equipment violation cited by officers trying to stop Mylett.
The Ohio Attorney General's Office of Criminal Investigation will lead the investigation into police use of force.
[The family of Andrew Brown Jr., a black man shot by North Carolina police, will receive $3 million]
Walker's family has questioned the use of deadly force against the 25-year-old.
An attorney for the family, Bobby DiCello, told the Akron Beacon Journal on Saturday that he had reviewed the body camera footage with the family.
DiCello said he has yet to see any evidence on the allegations that Walker shot the officers, and that Walker was running from police when he was shot.
"He's running when he gets shot, I think the count is over 90 times
," DiCello told the Akron Beacon Journal.
"Now, how many of those reach it, based on our investigation right now,
we're getting details that suggest anywhere from 60 to 80 injuries."
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Citing autopsy photos and interviews with law enforcement sources, NBC affiliate WKYC reported that Walker was hit dozens of times.
NBC News has not obtained a copy of the autopsy.
Mylett confirmed that the medical examiner observed
60 wounds on Walker's body,
but that entry and exit wounds have not been differentiated.
“We don't know the exact number of shots that were fired... However, based on the video, I expect that number to be high.
And I won't be surprised if the number at the end of the investigation is consistent with the number that has been circulating in the media, but at this point we just don't know," Mylett added.
In response to DiCello's comments that he did not see Walker brandish a weapon at officers, Mylett said the investigation is ongoing and it was difficult to get details from watching the real-time video.
According to police, a pistol and a loaded magazine were found in the driver's seat after the shooting.
Police returned to the location where officers alleged Walker shot them, Mylett said.
Attorney Bobby DiCello holds a photo of Jayland Walker, the man who was shot and killed by police in Akron, Ohio, on June 25. JEFF LANGE/USA TODAY NETWORK / via REUTERS
“A shell casing was discovered at that location consistent with a firearm that Mr. Walker had in his vehicle, the BCI will determine whether or not that shell casing came from the firearm,” Mylett said.
The family is concerned that the protests will turn violent after the public sees the "brutal" images, DiCello said.
Protesters have been peacefully protesting in Akron for days, demanding more transparency and accountability in Walker's death.
Eight officers were placed on administrative leave as part of the protocol for a police shooting, the department said.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has canceled the city's Fourth of July festivities amid the protests and ongoing investigation, saying now is "not the time for a city-led celebration."
