A black man who was fatally shot by a white off-duty North Carolina sheriff’s deputy earlier this year was struck by four bullets, one of which pierced his brain and another tore through his heart, liver and aorta, according to an autopsy released Thursday.

Jason Walker, 37, had wounds to his head, chest, back and thigh in the January 8 shooting in Fayetteville, the autopsy released by North Carolina’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed.

‘The cause of death is listed as multiple gunshot wounds,’ the report said.

The report noted that no alcohol or illegal drugs were found in his system. Toxicology tests detected only nicotine, caffeine and an allergy medication in Walker’s body. 

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An autopsy revealed that Jason Walker, 37 (left), a black pedestrian who was killed by white off-duty sheriff’s deputy Jeffrey Hash (right), was struck by four bullets

The incident took place in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on January 8. Body camera video does not show the shooting or what led up to it 

Two witnesses recorded on police body camera video, including one who identified himself as Walker’s father, told officers that Walker, who was on foot, jumped onto the hood of a red pickup truck driven by off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff´s Lt. Jeffrey Hash. 

Walker’s father also told officers that his son ripped off one of the truck’s windshield wipers. The videos do not show the shooting or what led up to it.

Hash, who is white, told officers that he was driving down the road in Fayetteville when Walker ran into the street, and the cop stopped his vehicle, according to the previously released video. Hash told a 911 operator that Walker broke his windshield.

The cop said that his wife and daughter were in his vehicle, and that he feared for their safety.  

The autopsy determined that Walker was shot four times with hollow-point bullets from a 9mm gun. 

A hollow-point bullet is a type of bullet that expands on impact, causing a more lethal hit. 

Anthony Walker (right), Jason Walker’s father, said the 37-year-old ran out of their yard and into the street, jumping onto Hash’s red pickup truck 

One witness (right) backed Anthony Walker’s claim about his son jumping on the hood of the car while the other (left) said Walker was already on the ground when Hash shot him

The bullet that struck Walker in the head traveled through his brain and into his neck before becoming lodged in his spinal cord.  

The round that entered Walker’s chest hit the right ventricle of his heart, traveled through his liver, stomach, pancreas and aorta, and then lodged in the left side of his back.

Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Accompanying the autopsy was an report on the circumstances of death, also released Thursday, which said that Walker charged at Hash after he got out of his truck to ask him why he ripped the wipers off.

The shooting prompted protests by demonstrators who questioned authorities’ account of what happened.

An attorney for Walker’s family, Ben Crump, has previously said a disagreement between a pedestrian and a sworn officer, who’s trained to deescalate situations, shouldn’t result in use of deadly force.

Attorney Ben Crump (L), alongside the family of Jason Walker, including his brother, mother Janice Walker (C), and father, Anthony Walker (R)

Pandora Harrington and other demonstrators march from the Cumberland County Law Enforcement Center to the Fayetteville Police Department and back during a ‘Justice for Jason Walker’ demonstration, on January 9 

On Thursday, Crump issued a statement saying that the autopsy confirms that Walker was killed unjustly.

‘A trained law enforcement officer knows that shooting someone that many times and in those parts of the body is shooting to kill. Jason should still be alive today,’ said Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in high-profile cases.

The State Bureau of Investigation has been looking into the shooting, as is routine in cases involving officers.

Has has not been charged with any crime in connection with Walker’s death.

His lawyer previously said that his client is ‘devastated’ by what had happened and claims self-defense. 

‘He’s devastated for the family of Mr. Walker. He’s devastated for his community and he’s devastated for his own family,’ Parrish Daughtry said. 

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10648837/Autopsy-Black-man-shot-duty-deputy-4-wounds.html