New Delhi: Ohio police released a video footage capturing the distressing final moments of a Black man, Frank Tyson, 53, who passed away at a local hospital after pleading “I can’t breathe” while being pinned to the floor and handcuffed by officers at a bar, stirring memories of George Floyd’s killing in 2020, news agency Reuters reported.
The body camera video, released on Thursday by the Canton Police Department, shows officers apprehending Tyson, suspected of fleeing the scene of a single-car accident on April 18.
In the 36-minute clip, officers can be seen confronting Tyson inside the bar, where he is eventually wrestled to the ground and handcuffed amid his desperate pleas of “They are trying to kill me” and “Call the sheriff.” One officer is seen kneeling on Tyson’s back near his neck for approximately 30 seconds.
Tyson can be heard repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe. I can’t… get off my neck,” as an officer shouts “Calm down” and “You’re fine” before standing up.
Subsequently, Tyson lies motionless on the floor for about six minutes while officers interact with bar patrons. Concern mounts as they check Tyson’s condition, questioning whether he is breathing or has a pulse. “Is he breathing?” and “Does he have a pulse?” they ask.
Eight minutes after handcuffing, officers can be seen administering CPR on Tyson before paramedics arrive and transport him to the hospital, where he passed away.
The official cause of death is undetermined, as per local media WKYC, an NBC affiliate in Cleveland.
The harrowing incident draws parallels to George Floyd’s fatal encounter, where he too uttered the words “I can’t breathe” as a Minneapolis officer kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes, sparking global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
