The death of George Floyd shook the world in May 2020. Police violence against blacks is still a ubiquitous topic in the United States. Now a case from Ohio is causing bewilderment.
The death of a black man in a hail of police bullets in the state of Ohio has sparked new consternation in the United States a good two years after the fall of George Floyd.
Police in the city of Akron released several videos of a police operation on June 27th. Officers’ body camera footage shows 25-year-old Jayland Walker being killed by dozens of gunshots after a police chase. According to police, he was not armed at the time. Deadly police operations of a similar nature occur again and again in the United States.
Police Chief Stephen Mylett said Walker’s body showed more than 60 gunshot wounds after a coroner’s examination. At first, however, it was unclear how often the 25-year-old was hit, since, according to Mylett, it could be a question of bullet wounds or bullet wounds. The police chief, who was visibly affected, expressed his condolences to the dead man’s family.
Police said officers wanted to stop Walker for a traffic violation. The 25-year-old did not stop. During the chase, officers reported that the suspect had fired a shot from the moving car – a handgun and a loaded magazine were later found in the driver’s seat.
The man finally continued to flee on foot while wearing a ski mask. The officers initially tried unsuccessfully to stop him with Tasers. The suspect stopped in a parking lot and turned to the police officers. Then they would shoot.
The case of George Floyd is representative of violence against blacks in brutal police operations: In May 2020, the unarmed African American died in a police operation in Minneapolis. Videos of passers-by documented how police officers pushed him to the ground. White officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for a good nine minutes while Floyd pleaded with him to let him breathe. The case led to nationwide protests against police violence and racism. Since then, there has always been dismay at similar cases.
«People want and deserve answers»
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has pledged a full investigation into Walker’s death. “People want and deserve answers, and they should get them,” Yost said. At the same time, he warned against jumping to conclusions. Body camera recordings are only part of the overall picture. He assured that the investigation file would be published after the case was closed.
Protests erupted in Akron over the deadly police operation against Walker. Local broadcaster WKYC reported that police used tear gas outside the city’s Justice Center after protesters knocked down barriers there. Television images showed demonstrators holding up signs with inscriptions such as “Black Lives Matter” (“Black Lives Matter”) or “Jail Killer Cops” (roughly: “Put killer cops in jail”).
Mayor: “It’s very hard to take”
Mayor Dan Horrigan called on the people of the city to remain peaceful. He called the police body camera footage “heartbreaking.” “It’s very hard to take,” he said at a press conference. The dead man’s mother, Pamela Walker, also spoke on local television. “All I can say is that I’ve never been so sad in my life,” she said. “Why did this happen – in such a horrible way?”
US Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio called Walker’s death “a tragedy”. He wrote on Twitter: “This is every black parent’s worst fear of what a traffic stop can become.” Police initially said in a press release last week that the suspect’s behavior had led officers to believe he posed a deadly threat to them.
Police Chief Mylett said: “The exact number of shots fired is not known to us.” The media spoke of around 90 shots. Mylett said this could be realistic. Eight police officers were “directly involved”. They have been put on leave while the incident is being investigated. “A routine traffic stop that would likely result in a warning or a ticket turned into a chase,” Mylett said.
“His body is riddled with bullets, his face is riddled with bullets (…) it’s an incredible sight,” family attorney Bobby DiCello told the Beacon Journal. In his 22 years as a lawyer he has never experienced anything like this. He also questioned whether Walker really fired the car while he was fleeing. The police argued that a gunshot was heard and at the same time a “flash of light could be seen on the driver’s side of the suspect vehicle”.
Source: Stern
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