family: man's death video reveals police abuse

The 28-year-old man's mother described a 12-minute video of the encounter as "traumatic and unpleasant" and like "torture" after her son passed away while being held by the police.

In Virginia, seven deputy sheriffs have been accused of second-degree murder in connection with Irvo Otieno's passing.

Moreover, three hospital employees were charged with additional second-degree murder on Thursday by the prosecution.

On March 6, Mr. Otieno passed away as he was being moved from a jail to a mental health center.

He died by asphyxiation, according to a preliminary medical examiners report, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutors have charged the seven Henrico County deputy sheriffs with smothering Mr. Otieno during the transfer.

Three employees of Central State Hospital, where Mr. Otieno was being transported, have also been charged, according to prosecutors, who claimed new evidence has convinced them to do so.

The incident was captured on tape by the hospital's security cameras, and Mr. Otieno's family and renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump watched it on Thursday.

Mr. Crump claimed that the video depicts police holding Mr. Otieno, whose hands and legs were both handcuffed, in place.

Mr. Crump claimed that the video depicts Mr. Otieno "being restrained so viciously with a knee on his neck, the weight of seven people on his body while he is face-down, shackled."

He noted that the footage demonstrated Mr. Otieno's lack of hostility and menace to the cops. Mr. Crump stated that Mr. Otieno was "in between lifelessness and unconsciousness" throughout the majority of the video.

Mr. Crump claimed that Mr. Otieno's passing was similar to that of George Floyd, whose May 2020 handcuffing and subsequent grounding by Minneapolis police officers sparked a national outcry against police violence.

The film, according to Ann Cabell Baskervill, the Commonwealth's Attorney for Dinwiddie County, is a "important element of evidence" that won't be made public for fear of endangering the legal system.

According to a police news release, Mr. Otieno was initially detained on March 3 as a suspect in a potential burglary.

An emergency custody order was issued for him because it was thought that his mental instability might make him capable of harming himself or others.

After being evaluated at the hospital, Mr. Otieno allegedly "got violently abusive with policemen," according to the police. He was subsequently taken into custody and charged with assault after being apprehended.

Three days later, officers returned Mr. Otieno to the hospital. His "becoming aggressive" during the admissions process, according to the information provided to investigators.

Caroline Ouko, Mr. Otieno's mother, and Mr. Crump both said that he was having a mental health crisis and had been taking medication for it but was unable to take it while he was incarcerated.

He wasn't breaking the law, according to Mr. Crump.

Originally from Kenya, Mr. Otieno's family moved to the US when he was four years old. They claimed that Mr. Otieno loved both music and athletics, and that in his spare time, he wrote and recorded music.

His brother, Leon, said on a GoFundMe page: "He frequently mentioned he wanted to be great one day and help our village in Kenya with their necessities.

As the inquiry is ongoing, the seven deputies have been placed on administrative leave. While the others are still being held in detention, two have been freed on bond.

Prosecutors claimed that the three hospital employees were taken to jail, where they are currently being held without bond.

Prosecutors indicated that other charges and arrests in connection with the death of Mr. Otieno are pending and that Virginia State Police are also looking into the event.