[ad_1]
A caller to 911 in Salt Lake Metropolis stated a person had come right into a brewery in his underwear, tried to steal beer and was operating round on the street, posing a hazard to himself and to drivers. Police tried to detain the person. Quickly, Nykon Brandon was lifeless.
After the Salt Lake Metropolis Police Division on Friday launched body-camera footage of the Aug. 14 deadly encounter and the 911 recording, activists on Saturday have been asking why an unarmed particular person wound up lifeless and have been accusing police of utilizing disproportionate drive.
“Stealing a beer doesn’t equate to the demise penalty,” stated Lex Scott, founding father of Black Lives Matter-Utah. “I don’t care if this man robbed 10 banks in at some point. He didn’t need to die. He deserved to make it to courtroom.”
The demise of Brandon, who was 35, comes as america continues to be seeing uncounted numbers of police killings of unarmed folks, lots of whom have been struggling a psychological well being disaster. Activists have referred to as for reforms, saying quite than armed police who can usually escalate conditions, a greater answer could be for particular psychological well being disaster groups to reply.
Brandon’s Fb web page says he’d attended Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and labored for a agency that sells home equipment, plumbing and {hardware}. Many individuals who posted on his web page expressed shock and grief over his demise.
The 911 caller stated a person had come to Fisher Brewing, attacked an individual on the door and was “operating round loopy. Very erratic. He simply jumped out and in of the street.”
“Undoubtedly psychological well being points,” the caller stated. “So when you’ve bought psychological well being sources, ship them out.”
As an alternative, bodycam footage exhibits a police officer get out of his patrol automobile and order Brandon to cease. When he resists and places up a fist and seems to achieve for the officer’s holstered pistol, one other officer pushes Brandon to the bottom and the 2 officers attempt to pin him down. “Cease,” one of many officers says repeatedly as Brandon is on a gravel mattress between the street and the sidewalk and persevering with to push in opposition to the officers.
No de-escalation makes an attempt by the police are seen or audible within the footage from 9 body-worn cameras, regardless that an govt order signed by Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall two years in the past requires all Salt Lake Metropolis Police Division officers to make use of de-escalation strategies earlier than utilizing drive.
“De-escalation techniques are now not advised or most well-liked — they’re obligatory previous to utilizing drive to impact an arrest until it could be unreasonable to take action,” Mendenhall stated in saying the police reforms, which have been prompted partly by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.
Salt Lake Metropolis Police Division spokesperson Brent Weisberg stated of the Aug. 14 incident: “Because the body-worn digital camera video exhibits, this can be a state of affairs that quickly unfolded. It was a chaotic state of affairs and our officers have been required to make very quick selections to get a state of affairs below management that was very tense.”
Earlier than Brandon walked into Fisher Brewing, he had been taken by South Salt Lake Police to a detox facility after they acquired a report of a person appearing confused and scared at a park simply after 1 p.m. on Aug. 14, KUTV reported.
Officers decided he was intoxicated, took him to the ability and cited him for public intoxication. However the facility shouldn’t be a detention middle and sufferers can go away at their will, KUTV reported.
The Salt Lake Metropolis Police Division officers encountered Brandon at 3:22 p.m. Within the movies, he is not heard talking throughout his struggles with the officers, apart from possibly a few phrases which might be unclear.
A minute later, a 3rd officer arrives. Video exhibits Brandon grabbing onto his holster and gun. They lastly handle to cuff Brandon’s palms behind his again as he lies on the gravel stomach down.
“We wish to assist you to,” an officer says. “You have to cease combating with us.”
After a couple of seconds, Brandon stops transferring. An officer faucets Brandon on the shoulder along with his gloved hand and asks “Are you able to hear me?” thrice. Brandon doesn’t reply.
“Get him in restoration,” an officer instructions, and the others roll Brandon onto his facet.
“Come on man,” an officer says. All of the digital camera footage launched by the police goes darkish at that time.
Salt Lake Metropolis Police stated in a press launch that officers started to carry out medical assist at 3:27 p.m. A minute later, they administered the primary of a number of doses of Narcan and began performing chest compressions.
“At 4:16 p.m. SLCPD is notified that Mr. Brandon died. The precise time of demise is unknown,” the information launch stated.
The police division stated a radical investigation was being performed by an outdoor company and that the division’s personal inside affairs unit would conduct a separate investigation.
Rae Duckworth, working chairperson for Black Lives Matter’s Utah chapters, desires to know why the launched footage would not present the officers making an attempt to assist Brandon.
“We do not even have proof they really administered assist. We don’t have proof that they really administered Narcan,” Duckworth stated.
Weisberg, the police spokesperson, stated footage of the resuscitation efforts was not launched out of consideration for Brandon’s household.
[ad_2]