AKRON, OH – An ongoing investigation into a fatal, officer-involved shooting of a 25-year-old suspect that occurred in late June has stirred sensationalized and/or misleading news headlines and generated unrest in Ohio.
While authorities are still investigating the incident, left-leaning media outlets have seemingly already judged the incident for themselves, misleadingly claiming this was the shooting of an “unarmed black man.”
Amid the early morning hours of June 27th, Akron Police attempted to pull over a vehicle over regarding unspecified traffic and equipment violations.
However, according to Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett, less than a minute into police attempting to pull the driver over, a gunshot went off – with the sound of the shot being picked up on officers’ bodycams who were pursuing the vehicle. Additionally, transportation department surveillance footage captured during the pursuit showcased what appears to be a muzzle flash emanating from the suspect’s vehicle.
As Chief Mylett described the matter, this changed the pursuit of the suspect from “a routine traffic stop to now a public safety issue.”
Per the released bodycam footage, as well as the briefings from officials, the vehicle began to slow down with the driver, identified as 25-year-old Jayland Walker, hopping out of the passenger side door as the vehicle was still slowly moving.
Wearing a ski mask and immediately booking it from several officers, bodycam footage showcases officers giving repeated commands for Walker to stop, with officers deploying their tasers during the foot pursuit. With the tasers being unsuccessful, bodycam footage depicts officers opening fire on Walker, with him being later pronounced dead at the scene.
Chief Mylett admitted to watching the bodycam footage dozens of times, noting that it is somewhat difficult to fully determine Walker’s actions amidst the pursuit.
However, Chief Mylett stated that still, images from the various perspectives of bodycam footage suggest Walker was “going down to his waist area” during the foot pursuit, with other images showing him running towards an officer, and another image “captures a forward motion of his arm.”
Furthermore, investigators on the scene found a handgun, a loaded magazine, and a wedding ring resting on the driver’s seat of the vehicle, as well as locating a shell casing consistent with the handgun found in the area where officers believed the gunshot emanated from the vehicle during the pursuit.
Following the fatal shooting, Chief Mylett stated all of the eight officers who fired their weapon were separated and individually interviewed on-scene by investigators, where each officer detailed the incident from their perspective. According to Chief Mylett, “Each officer, independent of each other, related that they felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was motioning and moving into a firing position.”
While the specific number of shots fired has not yet been determined, as the investigation is ongoing, officials stated that Walker had sustained in excess of 60 wounds from the officer-involved shooting.
All of the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, per standard policy, with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost ensuring that a “complete, fair and expert investigation” will be conducted, but also wanted to convey that “body-worn camera footage is just one view of the whole picture – before drawing conclusions, the full review must take place.”
But it seems the mainstream media is already out to vilify the officers involved, with numerous headlines from local media outlets, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, and the ilk all running with the misleading variations of headlines claiming an “unarmed black man” was killed by police.
This reaction from the leftist media is par for the course and thus shouldn’t come as a shock. While authorities in Akron are urging for there to be calm while investigators work the case, the inflammatory headlines in conjunction with opportunistic activists is sparking outrage.
Bobby DiCello, an attorney representing Walker’s family, says that the family – while calling for accountability – is also asking for peace within the community as authorities investigate the incident.
DiCello claims that the family can’t ascertain why Walker would flee from police but did say he was grieving the recent death of his fiancee, an element that could possibly explain the presence of a wedding ring found inside of Walker’s vehicle.
The bodycam footage can be viewed below.
This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on July 4, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.