INDIANAPOLIS — A paramedic who treated Herman Whitfield III in his home testified Tuesday during the second day of the trial for two IMPD officers charged in his death.
Also Tuesday, only one officer questioned if Herman Whitfield III should be rolled onto his side after he was tased, fell to the ground, and then handcuffed in a prone position.
IMPD Ofc. Nicholas Mathew told prosecutors his training taught him that leaving someone in a prone position for too long, especially an obese person, can lead to serious injury or death.
The accused officers are both 2-year veterans of IMPD: Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez.
The prosecution focused much of their line of questioning on officer training.
Ofc. Matthew Virt, who was also at the Whitfield home, testified officers can roll a handcuffed individual on their side "when someone is no longer a threat."
Virt testified Whitfield was double-cuffed and was not resisting. He said Whitfield was making noises that he couldn't comprehend.
Virt told prosecutors he didn't hear Whitfield say he couldn't breathe.
The jury also watched both officers' 20-minute body camera video.
Ahmad and Sgt. Dominique Clark were first on the scene, trying to encourage Whitfield to put on a pair of shorts to get him outside, into an ambulance to get him mental health help at a hospital.
When those de-escalation attempts failed, Whitfield could be seen sitting on his bed, staring at the wall in the dark in silence. A few minutes later, the video shows Whitfield running into the kitchen and eventually into the dining room.
Mathew said he heard what he thought was in ineffective taser. When Mathew entered the dining room, he testified he saw Whitfield flailing his legs.
The defense argued the taser was ineffective, saying that's why perhaps Whitfield began flailing on the ground while officers were trying to put handcuffs on him.
Mathew said he used a technique that interlocks Whitfield's legs to get him to comply.
In the video you can hear Whitfield yelling. Then, his voice slowly get softer and then silence.
After Whitfield was handcuffed and complying, prosecutor Janna Skelton asked officer Mathew, "Did you ask should Herman be rolled over?"
"I did," said Mathew.
"Did anyone respond? asked Skelton.
"Yes, Ofc. Ahmad," said Mathew.
"What did Ahmad say?" asked Skelton.
"No," replied Mathew.
In the body camera video, Ahmad can be heard saying, "I don't want him to get up again."
The jury also heard from an IEMS paramedic who treated Whitfield in his home.
She testified she gave Whitfield a total of six doses of epinephrine to try to jump start his heart — three while inside the home and three in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
"If you had known Herman was down for five minutes would you have done anything different?" asked Skelton.
"Yes," said paramedic Delaney Knisley. "The prone position is concerning because it can restrict your airway ... putting pressure on your chest."
Knisley also said Whitfield's size was "concerning" with him laying on his chest. She testified the amount of THC in his system was minimal.
On the ride to the hospital, Delaney told prosecutors a doctor gave her approval to also administer a one-time dose of sodium bicarbonate.
The defense told 13News they are waiting for their day in court when they can present their evidence.