Jayland Walker, the Black motorist killed by Ohio police last month, suffered 46 gunshot wounds in the hail of officer gunfire, the medical examiner’s office revealed Friday.
The 46 shots were from entrance and graze wounds, Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler said at a news conference announcing a summary of the autopsy findings.
Walker, 25, died of blood loss from internal injuries and the cause was gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, Kohler said.
She broke down where he was hit: 15 gunshot wounds to his torso, 17 gunshots to his pelvis and upper legs, one bullet to his face, eight to his arms and right hand, and five to his knees, lower right leg and right foot.
“There are 46 entrance wounds. There are 15 exit wounds and five of the wounds that would be in with the entrances are graze wounds,” Kohler said.
Five wounds entered on the back of Walker’s body, but it couldn’t be determined if that was when he was running from officers or simply moving his body, she added.
Walker tested negative for drugs and alcohol, according to the toxicology screening, Kohler said.
She said Walker suffered “devastating injuries,” and the medical examiner’s office cannot determine if one specific bullet killed him.
“He’s got an injury to his heart, he has injury to both lungs, which also bleed extensively, and he has an injury to the right iliac artery, so we’ve got multiple locations that are going to bleed significantly and would contribute to his death,” Kohler said.
The results were discussed with Walker’s relatives and representatives of the family reviewed the report, she said.
The family planned to issue a statement on the autopsy results later Friday, a representative told NBC News.
Walker was killed on June 27 after an attempted traffic stop in Akron.
Police officers tried to pull him over on an unspecified traffic violation, and a car chase ensued. During that pursuit, they “reported a firearm being discharged from the suspect vehicle,” the Akron Police Department said.
When Walker jumped out of his moving car, officers pursued him on foot and eventually opened fire.
Harrowing video footage released by the police department shows the moment officers unleash a barrage of bullets toward Walker.
He was pronounced dead on the scene and no gun was found on Walker’s body. A gun was found in Walker’s car, police said.
Eight officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave. The Ohio attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the probe of police use of force.
Akron police said Walker’s actions “caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them,” which prompted them to discharge their firearms.
The Akron chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police previously said it believes investigators will find that the officers’ actions and the number of shots were justified. NBC News is reaching out to representatives for the organization.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
