Outrage in US as Police shoot man, Jayland Walker, 60 times

The death of Jayland Walker has sparked sparked outrage in the US state of Ohio after police shot the Black man 60 times.

Multitudes of protesters have thronged the streets to demand justice for the killing of the 25-year-old man.

Reports said Officials are preparing to release body cam footage of the killing of Walker.

Walker’s lawyer was reported to have said the victim suffered as many as 60 wounds.

Following the killing, the officers involved in Walker’s killing have been placed on administrative leave pending while investigation proceed with the mayor of Akron.

As of Sunday, the city’s police chief was yet to give an update on the incident.

According to lawyer Bobby DiCello, it is believed police fired as many as 90 shots at Walker, just as his office’s investigation suggested Walker suffered “60 to 80 wounds.”

The lawyer however, noted a single bullet can cause multiple wounds.

The lawyer said he had reviewed the body camera footage of the killing prior to its planned release, adding that his team had not seen any evidence that Walker fired at the officers.

But, according to authorities, Walker fled an early morning traffic stop and officers had reported a gun allegedly fired from Walker’s vehicle.

The authorities also claimed that he ran before he was fatally shot in a nearby parking lot.

DiCello said, “He is just in a down sprint when he is dropped by I think the count is more than 90 shots,”

“Now how many of those land, according to our investigation right now, we’re getting details that suggest 60 to 80 wounds,” he added.

In a statement released after the incident, police said, “actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them.”

On Wednesday, the death of Walker sparked small protests in Akron, while people linked the incident to several high-profile police killings of Black people in the US in recent years.

The national outrage in the US climaxed in 2020 following the passing George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, who was gruesome hacked to death in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

One officer has since been convicted of murder in that incident and three others were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Walker’s aunt, Lajuana Walker-Dawkins, told reporters: “Jayland was a sweet young man, he never caused any trouble.”