Ohio’s attorney general said a grand jury has decided not to indict the eight officers involved in the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man during a traffic stop.
On April 17, prosecutors said the officers were legally justified in shooting Walker because the victim fired a shot at police during their car chase. Walker eventually exited his car on foot, and that is when the officers shot and killed him – unaware that he had left his gun in his car, The New York Post reported.
CNN reported that during this hot pursuit in June 2022, Walker was shot 94 times and his body had 46 gunshot wounds, according to state officials.
It was in June, after the release of police body camera footage showing the young man killed in a hail of gunfire, that people in Akron, Ohio protested in response to Walker’s death.
Walker was being followed for a routine traffic stop; although police officers were not specific as to why exactly he was being pulled over, reports explained that he was being pulled over for minor equipment and traffic violations.
Walker had refused to comply.
Within 40 seconds of the pursuit, Walker fired his gun at the police, which only escalated the situation.
“There is no doubt he did in fact shoot at police officers,” Ohio AG Dave Yost said.
Eventually, police cornered Walker’s car, and one of the officers successfully shot him from inside the car, causing the frantic suspect to abandon his car. Inside his vehicle were a handgun, a loaded magazine, and a wedding ring found on the driver’s seat of his car.
Ignoring commands and failing to show his hands, Walker ran onto the freeway and was chased by police on foot until he was cornered again in a parking lot, where he was killed while wearing a ski mask, body cam video showed.
The police actions were supported by the police union, which said the officers were responding to an imminent threat that would have caused them serious harm, and their actions were in line with their training and protocols.
Walker’s family, on the other hand, said his death was excessive and senseless, given that he was unarmed. There is also an added layer of sadness: Walker’s fiancée died before his own death.
