The preliminary report from the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office contains several pages of thumbnail photos showing Walker dead and handcuffed at the scene. The photos also contain evidence of life-saving efforts, including what appear to be tourniquets and bandages attached to and around his body.
CNN was allowed to view the report, but not make copies, per office policy.
A final autopsy report will be turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, which investigates any criminal misconduct by the officers. The autopsy report will be part of what the state attorney general’s office is considering before presenting a case to a grand jury.
Walker was killed in the early morning hours of June 27 after he fled what police said was a traffic stop attempt, leading officers in an 18-minute car chase and then a short foot chase. It ended after he quickly stopped and officers believed he was reaching for his waist, and “felt that Mr. Walker had turned and gesturing and moving into a firing position,” officials said.
Eight officers fired dozens of bullets, resulting in more than 60 gunshot wounds, officials said.
CNN has reached out to the Akron Police Department for comment on its policy on handcuffing people who have died in police custody.
Photos taken in the coroner’s office hours after the shooting show Walker in the body bag and then on the exam table. The photos show dozens of gunshot wounds from his ankle to his cheek on both sides of his body.
Photos in the report also show items such as Walker’s driver’s license and a bloodied set of handcuffs.
What the police say happened
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, city and police officials released 13 police CCTV footage of events leading up to Walker’s shooting.
Walker was unarmed at the time of his murder, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett told reporters. After the shooting, a gun was found in Walker’s vehicle, police said, and officers said Walker fired a gun from his vehicle during the chase.
According to a video released by the police, about 40 seconds after the start of the chase, “a sound equivalent to a gunshot” can be heard in body-camera images, and the officers told the control room that a shot had been fired from the vehicle of the man. walker. Police also showed still images from traffic cameras showing “a flash of light” – perhaps a muzzle flash – along the driver’s side of the car.
“That changes the whole nature” of the incident, Mylett said, turning a “routine traffic stop” into a “public safety problem.”
After a few minutes, the body camera video shows that Walker’s vehicle slowed down and he left the vehicle and ran away. Several police officers got out of their patrol cars and chased him, and officers deployed tasers to stop him, police said, but were unsuccessful.
Moments later, when the police said Walker stopped and turned to the officers, they opened fire and killed him.
Eight officers were “directly involved” in the shooting, Mylett said Sunday, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Protests follow the shooting
There were protests against Walker’s murder Sunday that began peacefully but turned violent after nightfall, Akron mayor Dan Horrigan said. He said “significant property damage was done to downtown Akron” and police said they arrested about 50 people after protesters failed to disperse.
Walker’s family had asked that all protests continue peacefully to honor his memory.
Robert Dejournett, a relative of Walker and a local clergyman, said the 25-year-old was a jolly young man who was adored by all.
“We are God-fearing people who believe in God and we want to illustrate that even in this process,” Dejournett told CNN, “we don’t want riots or anything like that.”
“Personally I want to cry out and be angry,” said the pastor, “but what’s that going to do?”
“Citizens have the right to have their voices heard, and I fully support that,” the mayor said in a statement on the city’s website. “In an effort to support all those protesting peacefully, I plan to lift curfews in our downtown area starting tomorrow. As always, public safety remains our top priority and I urge our community to report incidents or threats of violence or destruction so that a small group of rioters do not cause further damage to our city and small businesses.”