United States: An African-American man dies crushed under police and hospital workers
A photo of Irvo Otieno, who died under the weight of ten police officers and hospital workers, in early March 2023. © Courtesy of Ben Crump Law via AP
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In the United States, an African-American man, Irvo Otieno, was crushed to death under the weight of police and medics on March 6, 2023. The young man suffered from mental illness. The harrowing video showing his death was broadcast on Tuesday by several American media.
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The video, filmed by a surveillance camera, shows Irvo Otieno arriving at a hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, after three days in a cell. He is handcuffed, shirtless, without shoes, ankles shackled. Several police officers and caregivers, mostly African-Americans, pinned the 28-year-old to the ground. At first there are three and then a dozen pressing on different parts of his body – they seem to want to immobilize him. After 11 minutes, when they release the pressure, Irvo Otieno is not breathing.
The video had been shown to the family, who wanted it to be released. "They treated him like a dog, worse than a dog," Irvo Otieno's mother told a news conference last Thursday. The family's lawyer drew parallels with the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man, who was suffocated to death in 2020 by a white Minneapolis police officer.
Questions about the treatment of people with mental illness
Irvo Otieno's death has reignited the debate about how law enforcement in the United States treats people with mental illness. Last week, seven Henrico County police officers and three Central State Hospital officers were charged with murder. The local prosecutor, Ann Cabell Baskervill, said the 28-year-old died "of asphyxiation" while "being physically restrained," without giving further details.
►Also listen: News Witnesses - United States: where is police reform?
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