The death of a young African-American man from dozens of bullets fired by police in Akron, Ohio, on Monday sparked angry demonstrations on Friday in the northern US city near Cleveland.
Jayland Walker, 25, was killed when he fled from police on foot after a car chase following an attempted arrest for a traffic violation.
In a statement, city police said the teenage driver fired shots at officers during the chase. “The suspect’s actions led the officers to perceive a dangerous threat against them” and “they fired their weapon, killing the suspect”.
Police said a weapon was found in the car abandoned by the young driver.
The police officers involved in his death have been administratively suspended pending a judicial investigation. An internal investigation is also open, according to police, which should make public footage from the pedestrian cameras taken by agents in the coming days.
Police have not released details of the shooting, but according to local media, eight officers fired more than 90 bullets at Jayland Walker.
“They hit him 60 times,” Black Lives Matter said on Twitter.
Jayland Walker’s family demanded an explanation from authorities Thursday at a news conference that angry demonstrations had calmed since Wednesday, as protesters gathered outside city hall and a police station in Akron, the hometown of basketball star LeBron James. .
“He’s not a monster, he’s not a participant in a crime in his life,” family attorney Bobby DiCello told reporters.
“Jayland was a good young man who didn’t cause any trouble,” said his aunt, Lajuana Walker-Dawkins.
The town hall decided on Thursday to cancel the annual festival scheduled for Monday, July 4, during the US national holiday long weekend, believing it was “not the time for festivities”.
