Frank Tyson, a 53-year-old Black man, died in police custody in Canton, Ohio, after an officer knelt on his back, causing him to become unresponsive, graphic body camera footage released by the city shows.
On April 18, Canton police responded to an accident after Tyson allegedly sheared an electrical pole off the side of the road and then ran, according to the department. Footage shows Tyson’s unoccupied car in a grassy area nearby with the driver’s-side door left open and the steering wheel airbag deployed.
Canton police, who arrived at the scene just a little before 8:30 p.m., were told Tyson had fled to a veterans club. They walked in and confronted Tyson.
In the body cam footage, as the officers approach, Tyson yells, “They are trying to kill me!” He pulls away and a scuffle ensues. Someone can be heard in the background saying, “They are trying to help you.”
The officers grab Tyson, who can be heard telling them to “get the sheriff,” and force him to the ground. Tyson continues shouting, saying the officers are trying to kill him. One officer can be heard threatening to pepper spray Tyson while they attempt to handcuff him, but another officer tells him not to.
A little over a minute into the struggle, an officer presses his knee into Tyson’s back while another handcuffs him. Tyson tells the officer to get off of him, but another officer tells him to calm down.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,” Tyson says repeatedly.
Police finish handcuffing Tyson, who again tells them that he “can’t breathe,” while lying face-down on the floor.
“You’re fine. Shut the fuck up,” one officer can be heard saying in response.
Tyson appears to become unresponsive.
Roughly six minutes pass before an officer checks to see if he has a pulse, per the video.
Police officers eventually begin CPR, and continue doing compressions until medics arrive some 10 minutes later. Tyson was pronounced dead at 9:18.
A police statement released Thursday made no mention of the length of time between when Tyson was handcuffed and when police began resuscitation attempts.
“Shortly after securing him in handcuffs, Officers recognized that Tyson had become unresponsive. CPR and several doses of Narcan were administered prior to the arrival of Canton Fire Department Medics,” a statement from Canton police said.
The case was handed over to the Ohio attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation to conduct an independent investigation of the deadly encounter.
Two officers on the call, Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch, were placed on administrative leave, the department said.
“I want to extend my deepest sympathy to those close to Mr. Tyson,” Canton Police Department Chief John Gabbard said. “Based on experience, I am confident that BCI will conduct a very thorough review.”
Last December, the Canton Police Department shot and killed Zachary Fornash, a 24-year-old man armed with a pellet gun, after a foot chase near an apartment complex. Attorneys representing Fornash’s family filed a civil lawsuit. No officer was indicted, local Fox affiliate WJW reported.
The city’s mayor, William V. Sherer II, released a statement Wednesday following the release of the police footage.
“Today we have released the bodycam footage of the arrest incident involving the death of Mr. Frank E. Tyson. I sat down with members of the Tyson family to not only allow them to see what is now being released to the public, but to give them my condolences in person,” Sherer said.
“As we make it through this challenging time, my goal is to be as transparent with this community as possible,” he added.