Ohio police officers on paid administrative leave after fatal shooting of Jayland Walker
By Claudia Dominguez, CNN
An unknown number of police officers in Ohio have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation after a police pursuit ended in the shooting death of Jayland Walker on Monday.
Police officers from the Akron Police Department attempted to stop a person, later identified as Walker, for a traffic violation around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, but the driver refused to stop, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the agency.
A chase ensued and police said shots were fired at officers from the vehicle during the pursuit.
After chasing the vehicle “for several minutes,” the department said the person slowed down and fled from the vehicle while it was still moving, leading officers on a “foot pursuit” which ended in a parking lot.
“Actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them. In response to this threat, officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect,” the police statement said.
Walker died from multiple gunshot wounds to the face, abdomen and upper legs, CNN affiliate WEWS reported, citing findings by their media partner, the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Journal, which was allowed to review an investigative worksheet at the medical examiner’s office, said it “indicated that Walker was observed laying on his back and was in handcuffs when a medical examiner investigator arrived at the shooting scene.”
City officials on Sunday intend to release body camera footage in connection with the case, according to a statement from Mayor Dan Horrigan’s office.
The footage will be shown and reviewed Sunday afternoon and made available to the public following a news conference, city spokesperson Stephanie Marsh told CNN in an email.
The city’s police chief also plans to meet with members of Walker’s family prior to the news conference to “allow them the opportunity to review the footage before the media and public,” the city said.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release the autopsy record to CNN but confirmed Walker’s death “is ruled a homicide and is considered a ‘confidential law enforcement investigatory record.'”
Horrigan and police chief Steve Mylett released a joint statement on Wednesday regarding the incident, saying, “We know that no police officer ever wants to discharge their service weapon in the line of duty. And anytime they must, it’s a dark day for our city, for the families of those involved, as well as for the officers.”
“Tragically, we are once again faced with a young man, with his life before him, gone too soon,” the joint statement continued. “Every single life is precious, and the loss of any life is absolutely devastating to our entire community. Our prayers are with Jayland Walker’s loved ones, and we offer our sincere condolences to all those who knew him. Our thoughts are also with our Akron police officers and their families.”
Horrigan and Mylett also said in their statement the police bodycam footage, along with more information on what happened, would be released “in the following days.”
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation by the Akron Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, according to the police statement.
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CNN’s Keith Allen contributed to this report.
