The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Monday ruled Irvo Otieno's death was a homicide. Photo courtesy of Ben Crump Law/
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April 4 (UPI) -- The March death of a 28-year-old Black man who died while being admitted in police custody to the hospital has been ruled a homicide, officials said Monday.
Irvo Otieno died March 6 while police were attempting to admit him to the Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, Va., for treatment. Video of the incident released late last month shows sheriff's deputies and medial staff drag a handcuffed Otieno into a room at the medical facility before upwards of 10 people pile on top of him for more than 10 minutes as he died.
On Monday, the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced Otieno's official cause of death as homicide due to "positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints," NBC News reported.
Ben Crump, prominent civil rights attorney representing the Otieno family, said Monday that the medical examiner's findings were not surprising and corroborates what had been seen in the hospital surveillance video.
"In a chilling parallel to George Floyd's killing, Irvo was held down and excessively restraint to death, when he should have been provided medical help and compassion," Crump said in a statement, referring to the May 25, 2020, in-custody death of Floyd that sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequality.
"It is tragic that yet another life has been lost to this malicious and deadly restraint technique," Crump said.
Following the medial examiner's announcement on Monday, Caroline Ouko, Otieno's mother, was left speechless, according to a statement from the offices of attorneys Crump and Mark Krudys, CNN reported.
"All must know what they did to my son," Ouko said.
Seven Henrico County deputies and three Virginia hospital workers have been charged with second-degree murder over the incident. Police had said officers were attempting to restrain Otieno after he became combative during the intake process.
However, Ann Cabell Baskervill, the attorney for Dinwiddie County, said Otieno's death was a "horrible miscarriage of justice."
Otieno reportedly suffered from mental illness, and police first came into contact with him on March 2 when a neighbor had called authorities over concern for the 28-year-old man.
Police labeled the incident a mental health problem after speaking with Otieno and a family member.
The following day, Otieno was placed under emergency custody by officers investigating a breaking-and-entering call. He was then transported to a hospital where the Henrico Police Department said he became "physically assaultive."
A few days later, officers transported Otieno to the state-run psychiatric Central State Hospital were he died.
