Many victims were stopped for minor infractions. Some called 911 themselves. In virtually every case, officers faced little repercussion.
In Columbus, Georgia, a 300-pound police officer sat on Hector Arreola’s back while another held a knee to his neck and kept him face down outside his neighbor’s house for six minutes until he stopped moving and later died.’s head, neck, back and limbs as he lay face-down and handcuffed before going into cardiac arrest and dying.
Just five cases resulted in demotion or firing, although some agencies do not release that information, so the count could be higher. Five cases also led to criminal charges for the officers involved, but those charges were later dropped in all but two cases. Mary O'Callaghan, seen here June 5, 2015, after being convicted of assault under color of authority, was sentenced July 23, 2015, to 36 months for hitting and kicking Alisha Thomas in July 2012. Thomas later died. The judge suspended 20 months of O'Callaghan's sentence.The majority of officers, however, were found to have used reasonable force during the encounters.
Studies dating back decades have shown that mental illness and drug intoxication increase the risk of death by “positional asphyxia” if placed face down with the hands cuffed behind the back. Positional asphyxia is the medical term for when the body’s position prevents adequate oxygen intake, leading to unconsciousness, disturbed heart rhythm, heart attack or death.
“The general term excited delirium I don’t think can be used or should be used in the vast majority of deaths like this. I think they’re often asphyxiated,” said Douglas Zipes, a professor of medicine at Indiana University, speaking about the Floyd case and others analyzed by USA TODAY. New York City paid $5.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Eric Garner, the 43-year-old father who was fatally restrained by police on suspicion of unlawfully selling cigarettes. Garner’s death, which was captured on video by bystanders, sparked national outrage and turned his last words — “I can’t breathe” — into a slogan against police brutality.
“We are battling a city that has failed to acknowledge or talk about this incident,” said Rodrigo Arreola, a retired Army sergeant whose 30-year-old son was killed by Columbus, Georgia, police. “It’s been extremely difficult for us to move on.” One officer held down Arreola by the neck and upper back while the other sat on his lower back and buttocks, according to the family’s attorney, Mark Post. He said the struggle continued for six minutes and that officers stayed on top of him for two additional minutes after he was cuffed.
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