WATCH: Kevin Dizmang’s death ruled homicide as bodycam footage shows brutal encounter with mental health team

Kevin Dizmang, a 63-year-old Colorado man, died on November 15 last year while members of a mental health crisis response unit were restraining him. The County Coroner’s office has now ruled Dizmang’s death as a homicide.

In the body cam footage released by Kevin Dizmang’s family, the deceased can be seen getting strangled by the responding officers. The coroner’s report stated that the main cause is physical restraint, however, there are several contributing factors.

Previously, civil rights attorney Harry Daniels had compared Dizmang’s death to George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. However, on Wednesday, February 15, District Attorney Michael J. Allen stated that Kevin Dizmang’s death was “justified.” The family is yet to be notified that no criminal charges have been pressed against the paramedics handling Dizmang that day.

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Kevin Dizmang allegedly died after being restrained by a mental health crisis team in November

On November 15, 2022, Kevin Dizmang was handcuffed after he was found walking out into traffic. The mental health crisis team arrived in the 200 block of Mount View Lane and began restraining him. Ultimately, the Colorado man passed away from a cardiac arrest that reportedly occurred due to restraint and since he faced acute intoxication from methamphetamine.

On January 6, a report was signed by five medical professionals that concluded Dizmang’s death to be a homicide due to “the contribution of physical restraint to the cause of death.” Kevin Dizmang had meth in his system when he died, and also suffered from other issues including asthma and obesity that contributed to his death.

The responding team consisted of a cop, a community health paramedic with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, and a Diversus Health Clinician. The CSPD officer reportedly told Kevin Dizmang that he wasn’t under arrest.

Bodycam footage released by the deceased's family captured an officer ordering him to put his hands behind his back so that he could handcuff him. As Dizmang resisted the officer, a struggle broke out and he was taken to the ground. One of the responding officers was heard saying:

“Talk to me, brother. Talk to me, brother.”

However, no response was received from Dizmang at the time. Harry Daniels, the deceased’s family attorney alleged that the officer treated the incident as a crime instead of a mental health episode. The attorney added:

“The people who came to help him are the people who ended up killing him.”

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District Attorney’s Office rules that Dizmang’s death is “justified,” while the County Coroner rules it a "homicide"

When the case was turned over to the prosecutors, they determined that the death was “justified” and the officers would not face any criminal charges, who were placed on paid administrative leave after the fatal incident. The same has been confirmed by the Colorado Springs Police Department.

The coroner’s report mentioned physical restraint to be the primary cause of the “homicide,” while there have been other contributing factors:

“Acute methamphetamine intoxication, COPD, asthma, cardiomegaly, diaphragmatic paralysis, and obesity.”

Attorney Daniels stated:

“Mr. Dizmang was in the midst of a mental health crisis begging for his life. And the very people who were sent to help him strangled him to death instead.”

A statement was further released by CSFD and CSPD that read as:

“Anytime a community member dies, we are saddened at the loss of life. We take these events seriously and, in this case, had the Deadly Force Investigation Team, led by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, investigate this event.”

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According to the El Paso County Coroner, Dizmang was pronounced dead at around 5.45 pm. His family is currently waiting for justice to be served for Kevin Dizmang’s tragic demise.