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Irvo Otieno died while being in the custody of seven Virginia deputies on March 6, 2023. Later, a 12-minute-long video was released which captured seven deputies smothering Irvo to death. Apart from the seven deputies, three hospital workers have also been charged with second-degree murder.
Hospital video footage captured the three employees and deputies pinning Otieno down until he was motionless. The newly obtained footage further shows how law enforcement officers and hospital employees were cruel to Irvo Otieno.
The latest hospital footage was obtained on Tuesday and captured several members struggling with Otieno at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. Around 10 individuals were found trying to subdue Irvo Otieno, who was already on the floor.
Disclaimer: This video contains graphic content. Viewers' discretion is advised.
Irvo Otieno's family claims he was tortured while in the custody of the deputies
After Irvo Otieno was allegedly killed by a group of seven deputies and three hospital workers, surveillance footage from Central State hospital captured the moments before he died. According to Otieno’s family, the 28-year-old was tortured while he was in the custody of the deputies, and then at the hospital.
The video saw several individuals pressing down on several parts of Otieno’s body. All 10 individuals have been charged with second-degree murder.
Dinwiddie commonwealth’s attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, who showed the hospital footage to Otieno’s family, mentioned that she planned to release it to the public on Tuesday. Attorneys representing some of the defendants, however, claimed that the public release of the footage might be a hindrance to a fair trial.
According to the footage, Otieno was brought into the hospital at 4 pm local time. Shortly after that, at around 4:19 pm, he was seen being forced into a room with chairs and tables. Over time, more workers entered the room to restrain him by pressing him down on his body.
As per the New York Post, Baskervill said:
“He certainly did not deserve to be smothered to death, which is what happened. [The workers were holding him down] from his braids down to his toes.”
At around 4:39 pm, one of the individuals was seen checking Irvo Otieno’s pulse. Shortly after, when they found that Otieno wasn’t moving, they administered two injections and CPR. They then draped his body with a white sheet at around 5:48 pm local time.
A defense attorney claimed that one of the hospital workers had minimal physical contact with Otieno
As per New York Amsterdam News, NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson addressed the incident and said:
“Police are simply not a substitute for compassionate and informed mental health professionals. Rather than neglecting and criminalizing the black community, we need action to make sure no one experiences or witnesses this kind of violence at the hands of law enforcement ever again.”
Jeff Everhart, an attorney representing one of the defendants, claimed that his client was attempting to save Otieno by moving him to his side. Another defense attorney, Rhonda Quagliana, claimed that her client had minimal physical contact with Irvo Otieno, and was not responsible for putting any lethal force on him.
Baskervill further claimed that additional charges are currently pending against the defendants. She described how the behavior towards Otieno was equivalent to mistreatment.
