Ten people connected to the death of a 28-year-old black man in a psychiatric facility are facing murder charges.  Here's what we know

Ten individuals linked to the demise of a 28-year-old black man in a psychiatric facility are dealing with homicide prices. Here is what we all know

(CNN) Ten individuals linked to the demise of a 28-year-old black man in the course of the consumption course of at a Virginia psychological well being facility final week have been charged with second-degree homicide.

His household needs solutions about how a promising musician who had what they known as a psychological well being disaster ended up lifeless — and why nobody stood up for him and stopped him from being killed.

The county lawyer says legislation enforcement deputies “choked him to demise” whereas restraining him. Hospital employees have been additionally blamed.

The native legislation enforcement officers union says they “stand behind” the deputies, whereas an lawyer for one of many deputies charged mentioned he appears ahead to sharing the total fact in court docket.

Here is what we all know in regards to the deadly incident.

Who was Irvo Otieno?

Irvo (pronounced EYE-voh) Otieno was 28 years outdated. He had a ardour for music, household lawyer Mark Krudys mentioned Thursday, and was working to turn into a hip-hop artist. Initially from Kenya, he got here to the US when he was 4 years outdated.

His mom, Caroline Ouko, mentioned he had a ‘factor’ with music and will write a tune in lower than 5 minutes. “He put his power into it and he was proud of it,” he mentioned at a information convention Thursday.

Irvo had an enormous coronary heart, he mentioned, and was the one his classmates got here to once they have been in bother. He was a pacesetter who introduced his personal perspective to the desk, she added.

“If there was a debate, he wasn’t afraid to go the opposite method when everybody was following,” he mentioned.

Her son had a psychological sickness that required medication, Ouko mentioned. She had lengthy stretches the place “(you) would not even know something was mistaken” after which there have been instances when she would “go into some form of misery after which you understand she must see a health care provider,” she mentioned.

What occurred earlier this month?

On March 3, Otieno was arrested by Henrico County police responding to a report of a potential housebreaking, in accordance with a police information launch. Officers, accompanied by members of the county’s disaster intervention staff, positioned him beneath an emergency detention order.

Officers took him to a hospital the place authorities say he assaulted three officers. Police transported him to the county jail and he was booked.

On March 6, Otieno was transferred to a state psychological well being facility in Dinwiddie County and died in the course of the consumption course of, in accordance with Commonwealth’s Legal professional Ann Cabell Baskervill.

“They choked him to demise,” the prosecutor mentioned.

A preliminary report from the Workplace of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond identifies asphyxiation as the reason for demise, the Commonwealth’s Legal professional’s workplace mentioned in a press release.

Otieno was held on the bottom in handcuffs and leg irons for 12 minutes by seven deputies, Baskerville mentioned.

Who’re the defendants within the case?

Seven Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and three hospital staff have been charged with second-degree homicide.

The seven deputies charged have been recognized in Baskervill’s launch Tuesday as Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, of Henrico. Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, of Sandston; Jermaine Lavar Department, 45, of Henrico; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, of Henrico; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, of Henrico; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, of Henrico; and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30, of North Chesterfield.

Henrico’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, the native legislation enforcement officers’ union, issued a press release Tuesday saying they “stand behind” the deputies.

“Policing in America immediately is troublesome, much more so due to the potential for being criminally charged whereas within the line of responsibility,” the group mentioned. “Mr. Otieno’s demise was tragic and we prolong our condolences to his household. We additionally stand behind the seven accused deputies now charged with homicide by Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Legal professional Ann Baskervill.”

The hospital employees arrested Thursday have been recognized as Darian M. Blackwell, 23, of Petersburg. Wavie L. Jones, 34, of Chesterfield; and Sadarius D. Williams, 27, of North Dinwiddie.

From high left, Tabitha Renee Levere, Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, Randy Joseph Boyer, Dwayne Alan Bramble and Jermaine Lavar Department. From backside left, Brandon Edwards Rodgers, Bradley Thomas Disse, Darian M. Blackwell, Sadarius D. Williams and Wavie L. Jones

Is there a video of what occurred?

There may be video nevertheless it is not going to be launched. CNN requested the footage however was informed the footage just isn’t topic to obligatory disclosure as a result of the investigation is ongoing.

“To protect the integrity of the felony course of at this level, I’m unable to launch the video,” Baskervill mentioned, noting that surveillance video from the psychological well being middle captured the capturing course of.

Otieno’s household noticed the video supplied by prosecutors Thursday, and his mom says Otieno was tortured.

“My son was handled like a canine, worse than a canine,” she screamed, indignant that nobody stopped what led to her son’s demise. “Now we have to do higher.”

His elder brother, Leon Ochieng, mentioned individuals ought to have the boldness to name for assist when their family members are in disaster. He didn’t imagine that the individuals he noticed within the video have been desirous about preserving a life.

“What I noticed was a dull human being with none illustration,” Ochieng mentioned, including that his household is now torn aside and is asking for extra consciousness about how one can deal with individuals with psychological sickness.

“Can somebody clarify to me why my brother is not right here proper now?” Ochieng mentioned.

Have the MPs commented on the deadly incident?

CNN has reached out to lawmakers for remark and has heard from attorneys for 2 of the individuals charged.

Peter B. Baruch, Disse’s lawyer, issued a press release defending his shopper.

“Deputy Disse had a 20-year profession with the Sheriffs division and served honorably. He appears ahead to his alternative to do this case and have the total fact shared in court docket and vindicated,” he mentioned.

Bramble’s lawyer, Steven Hanna, mentioned he was nonetheless gathering info and declined to remark additional.

CNN has not heard from the opposite attorneys it has recognized as representing the opposite defendants.

What do the attorneys say?

Household attorneys say Otieno posed no risk to the deputies.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who’s engaged on behalf of the household, mentioned Otieno was not violent or aggressive with the deputies.

“You see within the video that he is in handcuffs, he is acquired leg irons, and also you see within the majority of the video that he seems to be someplace between lifeless and unconscious, but you see him being so brutally restrained with a knee to his neck,” he mentioned. Crump on Thursday.

Crump mentioned the video is “a commentary on how inhumane legislation enforcement officers deal with individuals in psychological well being disaster as criminals as an alternative of treating them as individuals who need assistance,” he mentioned.

Just like the arrest and demise of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, Otieno was face down and restrained, Crump mentioned.

“Why would not anybody have sufficient widespread sense to say we have seen this film earlier than?” he mentioned.

Household lawyer Mark Krudys mentioned deputies had used extreme pressure.

“His mom was mainly crying out for assist for her son in a psychological well being state of affairs. As an alternative, he was thrust into the felony justice system and he was handled aggressively and mistreated in jail,” she mentioned.

Video from the psychological well being middle reveals the costs are applicable, Krudys mentioned.

“If you see this video … you are simply going to ask your self, ‘Why?'” he mentioned.

What’s subsequent within the case?

The ten defendants will seem in court docket Tuesday earlier than a jury, in accordance with on-line court docket data. Crump known as on the US Division of Justice to hitch the investigation.

If convicted, the jail sentence for second-degree homicide in Virginia is a minimal of 5 years and a most of 40 years.

CNN’s Sara Good, Michelle Watson, Brian Todd and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

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