Protesters again gathered Saturday in Akron, Ohio, a day before the release of video footage showing the fatal police shooting of a Black motorist — a shooting that has rocked the city and outraged racial justice advocates.
On Saturday afternoon, a crowd of demonstrators with signs and megaphones assembled outside the city courthouse after 3 p.m. Some chanted, “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police.”
Demonstrators have now been gathering for four straight days this week, demanding police accountability after officers shot and killed Jayland Walker, 25, on Monday as he fled a minor traffic stop.
The Akron Police Department is expected to provide details of the shooting, including body camera footage, at the Sunday news conference alongside the city’s mayor. The footage will also be released at that time.
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett told the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the department will release all body camera footage of the shooting rather than just the three videos required by law. He added that the footage will be shown to Walker’s family before it’s released to the public.
The shooting is the third fatal shooting by a police officer in six months in the city of about 200,000 residents that is located about 30 miles from Cleveland.
The city of Akron has asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to take over the investigation of the shooting.
‘PEOPLE DESERVE SAFETY, NOT FEAR’:Protests continue after Jayland Walker’s death by police
Attorney describes shooting footage
Bobby DiCello, an attorney representing Walker’s family, shared details of the video before its release, saying he hopes it will help the community prepare for what it will show.
DiCello told the Beacon Journal he’s worried about how people may react to the footage that he said shows police firing dozens of shots, shooting Walker in the face, abdomen, arms and legs as he tried to run away.
DiCello said the shooting was an “unbelievable scene” that left Walker’s body “just riddled with bullets.”
“This is going to be a brutal video. It’s going to stir up some passion. It’s going to make people uneasy,” DiCello said.
VIDEO FOOTAGE:Attorney describes body camera footage
