A video of a Black man yelling "I can't breathe" as a police officer in US state of Ohio knelt on his neck, after wrestling him to the floor of a bar and handcuffed him, has caused outrage on social media. The man was declared dead at a local hospital, as per reports.
The video is reminiscent of the killing of another Black American, George Floyd, who was killed in a similar way in 2020. In the 36-minute body camera footage released by the Canton Police Department, officers are seen apprehending 53-year-old Frank Eugene Tyson.
Tyson who was suspected of leaving the scene of a single-car accident reportedly ran to a nearby bar. In the footage, the police officers can be seen confronting Tyson at the bar following which he shouts, "Cal the sheriff, they're trying to kill me".
Following this, the policemen pin Tyson to the ground and handcuff him, with one of them kneeling on his neck for about 30 seconds.
Tyson can be heard repeatedly yells, "I can't breathe. I can't... get off my neck." In response, another officer yells "Calm down, you're fine".
After the officers get up, Tyson is seen lying motionless, face down on the floor for about six minutes. When they check on him, he seems to be unresponsive. The policemen can be heard saying, "Is he breathing?" and "Does he have a pulse?"
Following this, they are seen removing Tyson's cuffs and giving him CPR. Later, paramedics can be seen carrying Tyson on a stretcher into an ambulance.
In 2020, Minneapolis police drew flak after Floyd was killed after a White police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck. The incident triggered protests across the US and abroad over police brutality and racial discrimination. Chauvin and three other police officers were later convicted of manslaughter and other crimes.
The accused police officers in Tyson's killing, identified as Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch, were place on administrative leave and the local crime investigation bureau is probing the incident, according to reports.
Who was Frank Eugene Tyson?
Tyson was released from Belmont Correctional Institute in St Clairsville, Ohio, 13 days before he died in police custody on April 18, according to WKYC, a Cleveland-based NBC affiliate.
He was serving a 24-year sentence for charges including kidnapping, burglary, grand theft of a vehicle, receiving stolen property and failing to comply with a police officer in connection with an incident on July 20, 2000. His sentence included a three-year parol provision after his release. He he was on parole when he was released on April 6 up until his death on April 18.
– with inputs from agencies