Virginia sheriff deputies and medical staff wrestled with a handcuffed Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old black man, for several minutes at a state mental hospital before he died, video surveillance shows.
The altercation took place on 6 March as Mr Otieno was being admitted to Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, according to Dinwiddie County Commonwealth Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill.
Mr Otieno’s death, which has captured national attention in the US, is the latest example of a black man dying during a violent encounter with law enforcement.
Police have arrested and charged three former employees of the mental health hospital and seven sheriffs deputies of Henrico County, Virginia, with second-degree murder in Otieno’s death.
Most of the deputies and hospital employees involved in the case are also black. A grand jury yesterday formally indicted the ten people charged.
The video, a download link of which was made available in court documents, shows about six officers carrying Mr Otieno into a room.
He appeared to struggle as he was put on the ground.
At times as many as ten deputies and hospital workers held him down while his legs were shackled and his arms were held behind his back.
Another six deputies and medical staff were in the room watching the encounter.
Later, the video shows Mr Otieno slumped over and motionless. Officers turned him over and began chest compressions.
They brought in a defibrillator machine and attempted to revive him. When it is clear Mr Otieno was dead, a lone healthcare worker draped a white sheet over his lifeless body.
The family, who viewed the surveillance video last week, said yesterday evening that a mental health crisis should not be a “death penalty”.
“Irvo was my baby. He was special, he was caring, he was loving,” said Caroline Ouko, his mother.
“Those ten monsters, those ten criminals, I was happy to hear they were indicted. But that is just the beginning step. We will achieve justice for Irvo.”
A preliminary report by medical examiners said Mr Otieno, who immigrated to the US from Kenya when he was four years old, died of asphyxiation.
Prosecutors say they were told he was restrained during the intake process because he was “combative”.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said the video clearly showed Mr Otieno in handcuffs and leg shackles, and questioned why it was necessary for multiple officers to smother him as he was already restrained.
Officials have not ruled out making more charges or arrests.
Authorities have not said why Mr Otieno was taken into custody or why he was being transferred to the mental health facility, which is located about 40km south of Richmond.
The deputies were placed on administrative leave and the Henrico County sheriff’s office is conducting an independent investigation into the incident. The department did not respond to requests for comment.
Video shows US police piling on black man who died
Source: Viral Trends Report
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