‘Absolute brutality’: Video of Black man’s death shows US police torture

Video from a state psychological hospital reveals a Black Virginia man who was handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the bottom by deputies who at the moment are going through second-degree homicide costs in his demise, in accordance with kinfolk of the person and their attorneys who seen the footage.

Speaking at a news convention shortly after watching the video on Thursday, the household and attorneys condemned the brutal therapy they mentioned Irvo Otieno, 28, was subjected to, first at a neighborhood jail after which on the state hospital the place he died on March 6.

They known as on the US Department of Justice to intervene within the case, saying Otieno’s constitutional rights had been clearly violated.

Otieno’s case marks the most recent instance of a Black man’s in-custody demise that has regulation enforcement underneath scrutiny.

It follows the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, and the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.

Ben Crump, who represented Floyd’s household and is now working with Otieno’s, shortly drew a comparability on the news convention.

“It is truly shocking that nearly three years after the brutal killing of George Floyd by police, another family is grieving a loved one who allegedly died in nearly the exact same manner — being pinned down by police for 12 agonising minutes,” Crump mentioned.

Mark Krudys, one other lawyer for Otieno’s household, mentioned the video confirmed all seven of the deputies now going through costs pushing down on Otieno, who was in handcuffs and leg irons.

“You can see that they’re putting their back into it. Every part of his body is being pushed down with absolute brutality. You cannot even see his image many times,” he mentioned.

Ten individuals to this point have been charged with second-degree homicide in Otieno’s demise: the seven Henrico County Sheriff’s deputies had been charged Tuesday and extra costs had been introduced on Thursday towards three individuals who the hospital employed.

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‘Unlawful demonstration of energy’

The footage that the household watched on Thursday has not been publicly launched. But Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill additionally described it in courtroom Wednesday, saying on the first listening to for the deputies that Otieno was smothered to demise, native news shops reported.

Baskervill mentioned in courtroom that the officers had no justification for placing Otieno, who was being checked into the hospital, on the ground.

Like the household, she mentioned Otieno didn’t seem combative and was sitting in a chair earlier than being pulled to the ground by the officers, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

It was a “demonstration of power that was unlawful,” Baskervill mentioned.

She introduced on Thursday in a news launch the extra costs towards the hospital staff: Darian M. Blackwell, 23, of Petersburg; Wavie L. Jones, 34, of Chesterfield; and Sadarius D. Williams, 27, of North Dinwiddie. They had been being held with out bond, and it wasn’t instantly clear if the three have attorneys who can communicate on their behalf.

Otieno, a 28-year-old from Henrico County, had a historical past of psychological well being struggles and was experiencing psychological misery throughout his preliminary encounter with regulation enforcement earlier this month, his household and their attorneys mentioned on the news convention.

He died on March 6 as he was being admitted to Central State Hospital south of Richmond, Baskervill mentioned in a news launch on Tuesday.

Krudys mentioned the footage from the hospital confirmed a scarcity of urgency to assist Otieno after the deputies decided “that he was lifeless and not breathing.”

“And then you see people standing around with their hands in their pockets and looking away,” Krudys mentioned on the news convention. “And there’s an appreciable period of time before any kind of rescue efforts are started.”

After CPR is run, the deputies “drift away out of the room and into a conversation by themselves,” Krudys mentioned.

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‘I’ll by no means see a grandchild’

Otieno, whose household is from Kenya, was a deeply beloved and well-regarded younger man, an aspiring musician who had been a well known highschool athlete within the space, Krudys mentioned.

“There is goodness in his music and that’s all I’m left with now — he’s gone,” Otieno’s mom, Caroline Ouko, mentioned on the news convention whereas clutching a framed photograph of her son.

“I cannot be at his wedding. I’ll never see a grandchild … because someone refused to help him. No one stood up to stop what was going on,” she mentioned.

Krudys mentioned a neighbour known as the police over concern about Otieno gathering garden lights from a yard.

He mentioned Otieno’s mom tried to de-escalate the preliminary police encounter and the household supported his being taken to a hospital, believing that he wanted psychological well being therapy.

The choose set bail for 2 of the deputies on Wednesday. It wasn’t instantly clear if they’ve been launched.

The different deputies had been within the strategy of securing authorized counsel and remained in custody, news shops reported.

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Source: AP