Protesters gathered in Ohio’s Akron on Sunday (July 3) following the release of footage showing police officers shooting an unarmed Black man, Jayland Walker.
Police played multiple videos at a news conference, one of which they said showed a gunshot being fired from the car driven by Walker, 25. He fled in his car after officers attempted to pull him over for a minor traffic violation. Walker’s body was found with some 60 gunshot wounds after he fled a traffic stop last week.
On Sunday afternoon, the Akron NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) led a peaceful protest at city hall. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in the streets of the city of some 200,000 people, waving “Black Lives Matter” flags and chanting.
The police body camera video showed a chase lasting several minutes, after which Walker jumped out of the car and ran away from police. Police say it appears he was turning toward officers, who at the time believed he was armed. A gun was later recovered from his car.
(Reuters)