Bodycam video has been released in the death of a man in Alameda, California. It’s an incident that is drawing comparisons to the death of George Floyd. The video is above and a warning: It is disturbing. The AP reports:
Mario Gonzalez, 26, stopped breathing after an April 19 scuffle with police at a park in Alameda.
A police statement said Gonzalez had a medical emergency after officers tried to handcuff him, but his family contends he was killed by police who used excessive force.
The video shows police pinning Gonzalez to the group for more than 5 minutes before he loses consciousness. Police reportedly received 911 calls that the man was drunk or disoriented. He does seem to be acting bizarrely in the video, yet he also appears to be calm.
At one point police try to cuff his hands behind his back before pushing him to the ground. Then one police officer is seen kneeling on his neck and back. The man appears to be struggling to breathe while police have him pinned, but is heard saying: “I didn’t do nothing, okay?” Eventually, an officer says “He’s going unresponsive.” He’s then rolled out and an officer calls for CPR to be performed.
Police in Alameda, CA wrote in a report that Mario Gonzalez was violent before his arrest and died in the hospital after a “medical emergency.”
Body cam footage shows he was calm and peaceful. He died on-site after they knelt on his back for 5 minutes. https://t.co/s8vP7Bq2zY
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) April 28, 2021
The officers involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave. A statement on the city’s website reads:
“The City of Alameda is committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez’s death. Three investigations into his death have been initiated: criminal investigations by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and an independent outside investigation.”
Brother of #MarioGonzalez: “the police killed my brother in the same way they killed #GeorgeFloyd.”
Gonzalez family has seen Alameda PD body cam video & they say police had their weight on Mario’s neck & his back.
“Everything we saw in this video was unnecessary…” @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/Tv3SZ3T5eD— Melissa Colorado (@melissacolorado) April 27, 2021