The death of a young African-American, fatally hit by dozens of bullets fired Monday by police in Akron, Ohio, provoked angry demonstrations on Friday in this city near Cleveland, in the north of the United States .
Jayland Walker, 25, was killed while fleeing 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 at officers during the chase. “The actions of the suspect led the officers to perceive a lethal threat against them” and “they fired their weapon, killing the suspect” who fled.
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 the end of the judicial investigation. An internal investigation has also been opened, according to the police, which must make public in the coming days the recordings of the pedestrian cameras that the officers carried.
Police did not give details of the shooting, but according to local media, eight officers in all fired more than 90 bullets at Jayland Walker.
“They hit him 60 times,” the organization Black Lives Matter said on Twitter.
The family of Jayland Walker demanded an explanation from authorities on Thursday, asking at a press conference that the angry demonstrations remain peaceful as protesters have gathered since Wednesday outside the city hall and police station in Akron, known for being the hometown of basketball star LeBron James.
“He was not a monster, he was not someone who participated in a crime in his life,” family lawyer Bobby DiCello told reporters.
“Jayland was a nice young man, he never caused any trouble,” said his aunt, Lajuana Walker-Dawkins.
The town hall decided Thursday to cancel an annual festival planned for the long weekend of the American national holiday, Monday July 4, believing that it was “not the time for festivities”.