Seven police officers and three medical personnel appear to be seated on 28-year-old Irvo Otieno for twelve minutes.
CCTV footage captured the final moments of a man who was “smothered to death” after as many as ten police officers and medical personnel appeared to squat on him for 12 minutes.
Irvo Otieno, 28, was handcuffed and ankle-shackled in the video from March 6 at the Central State Hospital in Virginia.
At 4.28 p.m., the video shows officers dragging Mr. Otieno into an admissions room and forcing him to the ground, where he is restrained.
Twelve minutes later, at 4.40 p.m., Mr. Otieno appears unresponsive. Two minutes later, chest compressions begin.
At 5.48 pm, emergency services arrive and it appears that a defibrillator was used before a medical technician drapes a white sheet over him.
Seven sheriff’s deputies and three hospital staff members have been charged with homicide in Virginia.
The mother of Mr. Otieno stated that her son was treated “worse than a dog.”
Caroline Ouko declared, “These nine men and one woman killed my son.”
The death of Mr. Otieno was also described by his sibling as a “tragic, senseless, inhumane nightmare.”
“Can someone clarify why my brother is not currently present? Please explain why my mother cannot sleep or eat,” he asked.
“We are shattered. Our souls are broken.”
Also the family of Mr. Otieno described him as a selfless individual and a talented hip-hop artist.
Mark Krudys, an attorney for Mr. Otieno’s family, stated, “If you watch the video, you can see that he is gasping for air as they increase the pressure.”
“Every human being has the right to be free to breathe. He was merely attempting to breathe; that was all he was doing.
Two of the defendants’ attorneys attempted to prevent the publication of the video.
Police reported that Mr. Otieno was arrested three days earlier in response to a potential burglary call.
In cases of mental illness, he was confined under an “emergency custody order.”
The prosecutor’s office in Virginia stated that deputies admitted Mr. Otieno to the hospital.
Instead, “he died of asphyxiation due to being smothered, with at least seven people on top of him and holding him down,” his attorney stated in court on Wednesday.
