Black suspect shot 60 times, dies at the scene in Akron — city braces for uproar, cancels some July 4th celebrations

Earlier this week, police in Akron, Ohio, fired nearly 100 bullets at a young, black suspect, and city officials are preparing themselves for a possibly violent backlash from the community and elsewhere.

According to reports, police attempted to pull Jayland Walker over shortly after midnight on Monday morning, when he suddenly took off and led them on a high-speed chase for several minutes. They say he then attempted to flee on foot and at some point discharged a weapon.

A summary of the events posted to the Akron Police Department Facebook page claims that "actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them. In response to this threat, officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect."

He died shortly thereafter.

Sources told WKYC-TV that while no gun was found on Walker after he was killed, a gun and multiple shell casings were recovered from his vehicle.

Though the Akron PD Facebook post does not identify the suspect as Walker, reports from WKYC-TV confirm that Walker is the subject in question.

"3News Investigates examined autopsy records, including about 150 photos of Walker’s wounds and about 60 photos of bullet fragments. A large majority of the wounds were to the front of Walker’s body. Wounds could be seen from his face down to his lower legs," the local news outlet states.

The death of Walker, who was only 25 years old and whose family alleges he had no criminal history other than a traffic ticket, has since sparked outrage across the city and beyond.

WKYC reporter Austin Love claims the city "is taking no chances" and has canceled several July 4th celebrations, just in case.

"The City of Akron has announced that the Rib, White, & Blue Festival originally scheduled for July 1-4, 2022 has been cancelled" and "Lock 3 will have no activities for the holiday weekend," the city announced on its website, though no specific reason for the cancellation was given other than "this is not the time for a city-led celebration."

Streets have been blocked by construction signs and even snowplows to control crowds and prevent possible outbreaks of violence over the holiday weekend, though some fireworks celebrations will continue as scheduled.

The mayor of Akron, Dan Horrigan, and Police Chief Steven Mylett issued a joint statement about Walker's death that reads in part: "We want to reassure our citizens that more information will be coming in the following days, including the body-worn camera footage that recorded this incident. We are keeping our promise to the community, understanding that there can be no trust without transparency and follow-through on commitment."

Mylett says he wants to meet with the family and show them the police body cam footage before it is released to the public.

The eight officers involved in the shooting, seven of whom are white, have all been placed on administrative leave.

H/T: Gateway Pundit