Some Ohio cops are being accused of cuffing Jayland Walker after they shot him 60 times, killing the unarmed 25-year-old. Walker’s family and the general populace are demanding answers and responsibility from city authorities.
This occurred on June 27 in Akron when a total of eight officers discharged their weapons to stop the young man from running. Upon medical examination, it was determined he died from gunshot wounds to the upper legs, face, and abdomen.
Being gunned down and shot multiple times, the officers handcuffed him after the fact, which “added insult to a terrible loss,” per the Walker family attorney Bobby DiCello.
It is standard practice for officers to cuff an individual deemed dangerous and armed – even after the police shoot them – so that the individual can’t reach for any weapons or put the authorities, themselves, or others in danger.
Of course, the media is lifting its ugly head to help things move along here. No one is highlighting that everything could have been avoided had this young man just complied and pulled over. Sure, he might have faced some minor traffic charges, but that’s a much lower cost than what he sadly ended up paying for fleeing. Instead of making this an issue about someone running from the cops and ending badly, they aim to make this about a race issue – even though one of the officers was Black himself.
All officers involved have been placed on semi-voluntary paid leave, per office strategy.
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Officers are told not to tamper with a body after an individual has been killed by officers or otherwise. Each police division has different strategies on how officers deal with dangerous individuals, but that is common ground – don’t mess with the body.
Police found a firearm in Walker’s vehicle after the shooting, but Walker wasn’t carrying any weapons when running from the authorities, according to Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett. But how did we end up here?
Authorities say that Walker escaped as officials attempted to pull him over for a traffic and vehicle violation. During an 18-minute vehicle pursuit, he discharged what gave off an impression of gunfire through the window. The chase then momentarily moved to a foot pursuit, during which police shot Walker dead after he immediately halted and they believed he was reaching for a weapon and “felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was motioning and moving into a firing position,” as per officials.
This is a sad loss and could have been prevented.
If officers are forced to take a dangerous person down by force, and the threat ends up dead, police are then prompted to not mess with the body – including putting on or taking off cuffs. A final autopsy report will be turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which examines any possible criminal behavior by the officers involved. It will be a critical part of what the state head legal general’s office considers for introducing a case to the grand jury.
But with the public going after them and the beast media backing them up – even though Walker could have complied and none of this would have happened – things aren’t looking too good for our heroes in blue.