On June 27, Jayland Walker, a black, 25-year-old DoorDash deliveryman, was shot by police over 60 times during a chase, after they stopped his vehicle for a traffic or auto violation check.

Police allege Walker shot from his car and then fled and was chased on foot.

Protests exploded in downtown Akron on Sunday, after police publicly released a body camera video showing Walker being shot as he tried to run. The demonstrations have been going on all week but heated up after the video was released. 

Tear gas was deployed as police, dressed in riot gear and carrying shields, tried to disperse the crowd. Protestors overturned barricades and blocked traffic. Someone set a dumpster on fire. 

Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan called the events in the video “heartbreaking.”

At a press conference held Sunday, officials said that Walker, 25, was unarmed during the chase on foot, but that they had reason to believe he was armed while in his vehicle. Police believed he was a threat to them and the public. 

Politicians and activities believe that excessive use of force was used by police.

Law enforcement experts said that the officers’ response was justified due to the suspected threat and reflects standard police training.

A camera recorded a flash coming from inside Walker’s vehicle, leading police to believe he was firing a gun. A six-minute pursuit followed, after Walker left his car and ran toward a parking lot. Police aimed and fired, according to video from body cameras. After he was on the ground, first aid was attempted, but Walker was pronounced dead. 

Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said when a cop “makes the most critical decision in his or her life” and points a weapon at someone and fires, they have to explain “for every round down the barrel of a gun.”

A handgun and loaded magazine were found in Walker’s car. Evidence was found that seemed to confirm a shot came from Walker’s vehicle. 

State Attorney General Dave Yost promised a “complete, fair and expert investigation” by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and cautioned that “body-worn camera footage is just one view of the whole picture.”

One of the eight officers involved in the shooting is black – the others are white, and all have clean records. 

Bobby DiCello, a Walker family attorney, said that the Walker family does not know why their son fled from police, but that he was suffering due to the recent death of his fiancee. 

Dicello said,  “I hope we remember that as Jayland ran across that parking lot, he was unarmed.”