Jayland Walker was shot more than 40 times in deadly shooting by police, coroner finds in preliminary autopsy, #Jayland #Walker #shot #times #deadly #police #shooting #medical #examiner #finds #preliminary #autopsy OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
Jayland Walker, the 25-year-old black man killed last month in a hail of police gunfire in the Ohio city of Akron, was shot more than 40 times, according to a preliminary autopsy report released Friday by the medical examiner’s office. in Summit County. dr. Summit County medical examiner Lisa Kohler said it was impossible to say which bullet killed Walker or how many shots were fired.
Walker “had several very devastating injuries that would cause death,” including injuries to his heart, lungs and arteries, Kohler said. She counted 41 entry wounds and 5 wounds from bullets that grazed Walker.
He had five wounds to his back, but it’s impossible to say whether they came as he ran or turned when he was shot, Kohler said.
The coroner gave a summary of the report on Walker’s death at a press conference. The report was completed on Thursday.
Preliminary findings released earlier indicated that Walker’s body had more than 60 wounds. Greta Johnson, Summit County communications director, said Friday that it is “quite possible” that one bullet could cause several entry wounds.
The coroner’s findings confirm the fact that Walker, who was unarmed, “came to a brutal, senseless death,” said Ken Abbarno, a lawyer representing Walker’s family. Kohler had previously said no drugs or alcohol had been found in Walker.
Walker was killed on June 27 in a vehicle and foot chase that followed an attempted traffic stop. He was not armed when he was shot, but authorities said Walker fired a shot from his car 40 seconds after the chase. Police CCTV footage released through the city on July 3 shows Walker wearing a ski mask, jumping out of the front passenger door of his still-running car and then running into a parking lot where police opened fire.
Those blurry images don’t clearly show what authorities believe was a threatening gesture Walker made before he was shot.
Walker’s funeral took place on Wednesday after days of protests.
A man holds a program on July 13, 2022, after funeral services for Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old black man who was shot and killed by up to eight police officers on June 27, 2022, in Akron, Ohio.
Reuters/Aaron Josefczyk
The update from the medical examiner’s office comes a day after the NAACP made a direct plea to Attorney General Merrick Garland before the Justice Department to open a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting.
An unloaded pistol, an ammunition clip and what appeared to be a wedding ring were found in the driver’s seat of Walker’s car, authorities said.
The officers involved are on paid leave while the state investigates the shooting. Seven of those officers are white and one is black. None of them have a criminal record in terms of discipline, well-founded complaints or fatal shootings, the police said.
The local police union said the officers believed there was an imminent threat of serious injury and believe their actions and the number of shots fired will be justified in accordance with their training and protocols.
Police in neighboring New Franklin Township had attempted to stop and chase a car that matched Walker’s less than 24 hours before the chase in Akron. An overseer there broke off the chase when the car crossed the town’s border into Akron.
Downtown Akron has seen daily protests since city officials released body camera images of the eight officers involved in the shooting. They have announced a curfew in downtown Akron from 11pm to 5am