INDIANAPOLIS — Black church community leaders are again demanding that Indianapolis Metropolitan Police release the full police bodycam video of the April 25 incident when Herman Whitfield III died in police custody in his house.
They are also raising concerns over why Whitfield was left face down even after he was handcuffed.
IMPD use of force principles in the general orders provides repeated guidance not to leave subjects who are under control on their stomachs in custody.
Police say they negotiated with a naked and sweating Whitfield for 10 minutes to get dressed to go to the hospital for mental health assistance. But the video shows Whitfield go the kitchen, where police say he started throwing things.
When he moved to the dining room, an officer deployed his taser twice on Whitfield. Then officers got on top of the large man and handcuffed him face down. Whitfield appears to say "I can't breathe" as many as three or four times.
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"A member of our community is in distress, clearly saying ‘I can't breathe’ and nothing was done for that,” said Dr. Carlos Perkins with the Faith in Indiana Black Church Coalition. “Nothing was done. What we saw in the video was disturbing."
The video shows Whitfield remain silent and motionless for over a minute after he is handcuffed. Police say it was about three minutes before medics came into the house and Whitfield was finally rolled over. He was unresponsive at that point.
“Not only was he tased twice, not only was he cuffed, double-cuffed on his stomach, but he was left in that position even after he was requested help,” said Perkins. “That is unacceptable. That is breaking even IMPD's own policy."
This excerpt is directly from the IMPD General Orders 1.30, Section V:
As soon as reasonably possible following a use of force, officers will evaluate the subject for injuries, request Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as needed or requested, and render appropriate aid according to their training and experience. A. When safe and feasible officers will: 1. Request EMS response for any injury or sign of medical distress, unless the injuries are minor (e.g., complaint of pain, small cuts and abrasions); 2. Render aid according to their training and experience, unless aid is declined. Consent should be assumed for unconscious subjects or those incapable of providing consent; 3. Place prone subjects in an upright or recovery position, when appropriate and feasible; and 4. Continually observe subjects for signs of distress. EMS should be requested immediately if any of the following signs are observed or occurred: a. Extreme agitation, b. Violent, bizarre, or irrational behavior, c. Profuse sweating, d. Difficulty breathing, e. Extraordinary strength beyond physical characteristics, f. Unusually high tolerance to pain, or g. A protracted physical encounter with multiple officers. B. Officers will not restrain subjects who are in custody and under control in a manner that restricts their ability to breathe, and shall reposition the subject into a recovery position as soon as practical.
The Faith in Indiana Black Church Coalition is demanding the release of the full bodycam video from the officers involved.
"It’s unacceptable that we are at this point, and we still have not seen the full unedited video, or what we heard from them yesterday that an autopsy report is not completed,” said Perkins.
IMPD Police Chief Randal Taylor says his department is still waiting for the autopsy with toxicology results and an official cause of death.
After the internal and criminal investigations are completed, the civilian majority Use of Force Review Board will decide if the officers followed department policy.
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