(Reuters) – An Ohio grand jury on Monday cleared eight police officers of wrongdoing in the shooting death of an unarmed Black man after a vehicle and foot chase last summer, as the city prepared for a fresh round of protests against alleged police misconduct.
On June 27, 2022, police officers attempted to pull over Jayland Walker, 25, after a traffic violation in Akron, Ohio. Walker fled in his car and officers gave chase for more than seven minutes, during which time they saw a firearm discharge from his vehicle, police said.
Walker then jumped out of the moving vehicle and ran. Officers caught up to him in a parking lot, where they opened fire when they perceived he posed a deadly threat to them, police said.
Eight police officers shot Walker 46 times, including five times in the back, according to an autopsy conducted by Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler. The autopsy also found that Walker had no drugs or alcohol in his system, she said three weeks after the incident.
A gun was found in Walker’s vehicle, police said.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Mark Porter)
