The Virginia man who seven deputies are accused of killing was in the midst of a mental health crisis, handcuffed, shackled and posed no threats to the law enforcement officials, his family said Thursday after seeing footage of the incident.
“My son was treated like a dog, worse than a dog,” Caroline Ouko said Thursday. “He was murdered. They smothered the breath out of my baby. They murdered my baby.”
Seven Henrico County deputies have been charged with second-degree murder in the March 6 death of Irvo Otieno, 28. Three hospital employees have also been charged in his death, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for Dinwiddie County said Thursday.
The Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said in court Wednesday that Otieno “died of asphyxia due to being smothered to death, thanks to having at least seven people … on top of him and holding him down.”
Otieno’s family and attorneys on Thursday were shown video of the events that happened while he was being registered into a state hospital after a previous arrest.
“What we just viewed … was commentary on how inhumane law enforcement officials treat people who are having a mental health crisis as criminals, rather than treating them as people who are in need of help,” attorney Ben Crump told reporters.
Mark Krudys, an attorney for Otieno’s family, said after viewing the footage that all seven deputies could be seen pushing down “every part of his body” with “absolute brutality.”
“I was not really prepared to see this,” Krudys said.
“You can see that they’re putting their back into it. Every part of his body is being pushed down with absolute brutality. You cannot even see his image many times.”
Four of the deputies weighed at least 250 pounds, with the heaviest weighing 320 pounds, according to court documents.
Crump said that “it is truly shocking that nearly three years after the brutal killing of George Floyd by police, another family is grieving a loved one who…
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