In Liberal Akron, Cops Shot at a Black DoorDash Driver 100 Times after Chasing Him to Enforce a Traffic Violation. Police Claim He Fired a Gun but Have No Evidence Gun was Discharged

DON’T BLAME GUNS, COPS DID IT. Police have killed 286 people in the US this year, according to Mapping Police Violence, a project tracking the number of fatal encounters with police. Black people are far more likely to be fatally shot by police than white people, and data from the project found that in 2022 so far, only four days have gone by without someone being killed by police.

From [HERE] Days after a Black man was killed by police officers who reportedly fired almost 100 rounds during a chase that started as a traffic stop, officials in Akron, Ohio, announced that the Fourth of July celebration was canceled in response to a fatal shooting that has rocked the city this week.

Police tried to pull over Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old DoorDash driver, for a traffic infraction early Monday, authorities said. The Akron Police Department said that during the pursuit, Walker fired a gun from outside the vehicle — an unsubstantiated claim that Walker’s family has refuted. As he kept driving away from police, Walker slowed down and exited his vehicle and was chased by officers on foot, according to authorities. He had no criminal record, Bobby DiCello, one of the family’s attorneys, told The Washington Post.

“Actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them,” police said in a news release. “In response to this threat, officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect.”

Walker was pronounced dead at the parking lot where he was shot.

Autopsy records show that eight officers fired more than 90 rounds at Walker, with more than 60 striking his body, DiCello told The Post. The account was corroborated by WKYC, the first to report on the number of gunshots fired.

“There are wounds on all sides and parts of his body,” DiCello said.

Eight officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, according to Akron police. Details surrounding the number of shots fired by police have not been released by authorities. The officers have not yet been publicly identified.

A weapon was recovered from inside Walker’s car, according to police. DiCello said there is no evidence showing that the firearm was in the car or that the firearm was discharged at an officer.

Akron police announced Friday that body-camera footage of the shooting would be released on Sunday afternoon.

The killing has sparked protests and calls for accountability from Walker’s family and residents angry over the third fatal police shooting in the northeast Ohio city since late December.

The blowback led Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan (D), who called the killing “a dark day for our city,” to announce that the city’s Fourth of July celebration was canceled. The Rib, White, & Blue Festival was scheduled to begin Friday in downtown Akron and conclude Monday on Independence Day. The part of downtown where the festival would have taken place will have no activities or entertainment over the holiday weekend, according to the city.