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Who was Jayland Walker? Chilling video shows Black man, 25, gunned down by police in hail of 60 BULLETS

Eight Akron police officers who were directly involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave

Warning: Graphic content

AKRON, OHIO: Body camera footage released by police showed the moment when Akron cops shot a Black Ohio man at least 60 times, killing him. Akron police gunned down 25-year-old Jayland Walker after he was stopped for a traffic violation on June 27. Walker's gory death had forced the police to release a video of what happened in the shocking incident. Seven of the eight officers who apparently shot at Walker are White. 

Released on Sunday, July 3, the chilling video shows several officers approaching Walker's vehicle and then opening fire at him as he fled on foot. The family's attorney said that the hail of bullets sounded like "a whole brick of fireworks going off". What seems like a gun is seen in the video on the front seat of Walker's car, earlier reports claimed Walker was unarmed. Akron police had also claimed that Walker had fired a gun at the cops trying to pursue him. Autopsy records show he was handcuffed after the shooting. He was not armed at the time he was shot, sources said.

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The medical examiner found at least 60 gunshot wounds on Walker's body, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett confirmed. While the exact number of shots fired is being investigated, the initial estimate says a hail of 90 bullets was fired at him. Preliminary investigation revealed he suffered gunshot wounds to his head, torso and legs. According to Mylett, officers tried to assist Walker as soon as the firing stopped but he died on the spot. Eight officers who were directly involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. The incident is being probed by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Akron NAACP held a rally and march in the downtown area after the footage was released. Two videos were released by police, one of which shows cops pursuing Walker's silver Buick on Route 8 in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. Officers were seen trying to pull him over for traffic and equipment violations. The other video showed a flash of light coming from the driver's seat of Walker's car, which Mylett claimed seemed like a flash of a gun.

In the second video, officers say that at least one shot being fired from Walker's vehicle was heard. Walker is still being pursued when he is seen jumping out of the car wearing a ski mask and attempting to flee. Several officers then run after him, opening fire. Mylett claimed that there are still photos of Walker reaching his waistband, turning towards the officers and moving his arm forward. 

When asked by reporters if officers overreacted when they open fire on Walker, Mylett said, according to the Daily Mail, "It was difficult to watch, and shocking." He added, "'I'm not going to pass judgment' until the investigation is completed." Mylett claimed that when an officer decides to open fire on someone, they must "articulate what specific threats they were facing." Police say they first deployed their tasers but opened fire after they said Walker made motions that caused them to fear bodily harm. 

"When an officer makes the most critical decision in his or her life as a police officer, it doesn't matter where in the country this happens, when they make that most critical decision to point their firearm at another human being and pull the trigger, they've got to be ready to explain why they did what they did," Mylett said. "They need to be able to articulate what specific threats they were facing, and that goes for every round that goes down the barrel of their gun."

Akron Beacon Journal quoted attorney Bobby DiCello, who represents Walker's family, as saying that video was "brutal". "We're all bracing for the community's response, and the one message that we have is the family does not need any more violence," DiCello said. DiCello has insisted that there is no evidence to suggest that Walker fired a gun. "He is just in a down sprint when he is dropped by I think the count is more than 90 shots," he said. "Now how many of those land, according to our investigation right now, we're getting details that suggest 60 to 80 wounds." DiCello said that the body camera footage may dispute some of the police's claims. "There is no stopping and turning around," DiCello said. "There's no making his hand into the shape of a gun. There's no holding his cellphone. He has nothing in his hands." 

Walker's family said that he was of sound mind at the time of the incident and had no intention of harming others, or himself, when he was shot dead.  As enraged residents took to the streets, officers called for peaceful demonstrations. 

"I praise and thank the Walker family for calling for peace," Mylett said. Addressing Walker's relatives, he said, "I cannot imagine the sense of loss, the pain you are going through right now. I want to personally thank you for the way in which you have been dealing with this situation. You have asked for peace in an environment that is rife for aggression and violence."