An Ohio medical examiner revealed Friday that Jayland Walker — a 25-year-old black man who was unarmed when she was killed by Akron police last month — was shot more than 40 times by cops.
Dr. Lisa Koehler, a medical examiner in Summit County, said Walker sustained 41 entry injuries and five other grazing wounds, with “many very devastating injuries that would cause death.”
On June 27, Walker died in a hail of gunfire after fleeing police, who initially tried to stop him for an alleged traffic violation. Police Chief Stephen Millett said Walker at one point from the car chase fired a shot, but was eventually unarmed when he got out of his car and fled the cops on foot. Eight officers, all currently on paid leave, opened fire on Walker, sparking widespread anger and mass protests throughout Akron. NAACP also has called the Ministry of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation.
At Friday’s news conference, Koehler released preliminary autopsy results, revealing 46 admissions and grazing cases. Koehler also noted 15 exit wounds where bullets left the body. She said he was shot five times in the back, but it is unclear whether he suffered from them while fleeing the police.
Fifteen of the gunshot wounds, Koehler said, damaged his internal organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys. 26 bullets in total were found from his body.
“We can’t say which bullet killed him,” Koehler said. “He sustained several serious injuries.”
Koehler said his death, which was medically ruled a murder, was ultimately caused by blood loss from the shooting.
In response, Walker’s family and legal team released a statement, saying that the report confirmed what they already suspected.
“Today’s Summit County medical examination report of the death of Gayland Walker confirms the violent and unnecessary use of force by the Akron Police Department against an unarmed young man who, as the family expected, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” the statement read. . “Gayland had 46 gunshot wounds to his body is horrifying. The fact that after being beaten nearly forty times, officers still handcuffed while lying motionless and bleeding on the ground is absolutely inhumane.”
The family said they still wanted a public apology from the local police department.
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