Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016. "Here it's pretty obvious this individual is suffering from compression restraint asphyxia," Obayashi said. After graduating from Coliseum College Preparatory in Oakland, Gonzalez had plannedto go toAlameda College. The three officers remain on paid administrative leave, according to the city of Alameda. The death of Mario Gonzalez should be a wake-up call for the city of Alameda, said LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and former independent police auditor for the city of San Jose. The family also wants the California Department of Justice to investigate the police departments handling of the case. Alameda police Officer Erick McKinley was among several officers who responded on April 19, 2021 in the citys Scout Park after a resident called police to claim Gonzalezs presence was scaring his wife. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. Experts have expressed shock at his death, Meth didnt kill Mario, the officers did., Earlier this month, the Alameda County district attorney announced. The APD took a calm situation and made it fatal.". A statement issued Friday by Alameda police Chief Nishant Joshi says the officers will remain on leave until the investigation is over. Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing the officers, told KTVU in Oakland that they "used the lowest degree of force possible given the intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's efforts to evade their grasp.". And Mario's 5-year-old son, also named Mario, will hold them accountable in civil court in a federal civil rights lawsuit.". CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Both suits claim Gonzalez appeared to be confused and possibly intoxicated at the time, but was not a threat to himself or anyone else and that he wasnt involved in any crime. She has not received a response, she said, But since Nancy OMalley refused to bring criminal charges, I will be renewing my request for a federal investigation.. Walking around with that level of meth, he wouldnt have dropped dead at that moment but for the force by police, Haddad said. Feds drop felony gun case days after defense argued SFPD illegally arrested, searched defendant Nearly eight months after 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died at the hands of police in Alameda, California, the county coroners office released a report ruling the Latino fathers death a homicide. Thats all, the officer says. California man who died in custody was restrained on his stomach for 5 minutes and lost consciousness, police body camera shows. Therefore the cause of death is the toxic effects of methamphetamine, with the physiologic stress of altercation and restraint, morbid obesity, and alcoholism contributing to the process of dying.. Meth didnt kill Mario, the officers did. The officers remain on paid administrative leave until all investigations are complete, according to the City of Alameda, which is handling its own independent investigation of the death. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. And while none of his family members knows exactly what Gonzalez was doing in Alameda that day, they said he often traveled therefor peace and quiet. At least two officers knelt on him until he stopped breathing and lost his pulse. A spokeswoman for the Alameda County DA's office declined to comment, citing its ongoing investigation of the case. Click here and here to download a copy of the coroner's report. The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. Heres how. Based on the totality of available information, including investigative, autopsy, and laboratory findings, it is apparent that Mr. Gonzalez Arenales experienced cardiopulmonary arrest because of multiple factors, the report said. They are still waiting on the autopsy to be released by the coroners office. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Email Evan atevan.sernoffsky@fox.comand follow him on Twitter @EvanSernoffsky. Heres what the first half of Is Californias drought finally over? Autopsy finds Mario Gonzalez died from meth, police restraint in Alameda struggle By Lisa Fernandez and Evan Sernoffsky Published December 10, 2021 Updated Gonzalez was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The new autopsy results, released Wednesday, said that Gonzalez died on April 19, 2021, from restraint asphyxiation, according to forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu. An Alameda city spokesperson said Wednesday that the city had no additional comment beyond its statement earlier this month, acknowledging the district attorneys decision and saying it hoped the decision would move the citys independent investigation closer to an end. Alameda police approached Gonzalez in a small park in the 800 block of Oak Street near Park Street and Otis Drive after residents called 911, describing a man talking strangely and smashing a bottle on a tree stump. His mother is speaking up because other Latinos are dying, Arenales suit says officers put significant weight on his back, shoulders, neck, and legs for over five minutes in violation of generally accepted law enforcement standards, while Mr. Gonzalez struggled to breathe.. Police body camera video released a week after his death shows multiple officers holding Gonzalez to the ground for five minutes while attempting to arrest him on suspicion of shoplifting, a misdemeanor. She joined the Chronicle in 2015 after stints at several alt weekly newspapers. Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew First published on April 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM. But he delayed those dreams to helphis mom with the bills and care for his younger brother who suffers from severe autism. Gonzalez weighed about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), and police said he appeared to be under the influence. He was anxious and was prescribed medications to help. The officers, as they seek to restrain him, repeatedly ask Gonzalez for his full name and birth date. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. The nearly hourlong video from two officers body cameras shows police talking to Gonzalez in a park after receiving 911 calls that he appeared to be disoriented or drunk. Gonzalez is heard in the video telling officers, I didnt do nothing, OK?, Shortly before Gonzalez stops breathing, one officer asks the other, Think we can roll him on his side?, but the other answers, I dont want to lose what I got, man., Another officer then asks, We got no weight on his chest?, then repeats, No! "Itwas the strength and intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's own momentum" that caused the group to fall. Interim Police Chief Randy Fenn told KTVU-TV said the video was "troubling" and offered his condolences to Gonzalez's family. An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. Sherwin said she believes Gonzalez died of asphyxiation and said the amount of methamphetamine in his system was low. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. Heres why thats wise, An assault and fatal stabbing in the middle of class at a Santa Rosa high school, With unfounded fraud claims swirling, red California county dumps Dominion voting machines, Man arrested in connection to 7 bombings in Fresno has links to hate group, authorities say. The release of the autopsy report is the latest development in the controversial death, which almost immediately drew protests and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The new information being released adds to that pain.. The Alameda Police Department said in its first news release that officers attempted to detain the man, and a physical altercation ensued. The city of Alameda has repeatedly delayed releasing records under a police transparency law citing the fact that the autopsy had not yet been complete. Part of HuffPost Politics. "There was never a point in time where any officer's knee was on Mr. Gonzalez's neck. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Alameda is 15 miles outside San Francisco. A previous Alameda County Sheriffs Office coroners autopsy differed on the cause of death, saying Gonzalez died of a heart attack caused by the stress of the encounter. The officers determine that he is resisting, then push him to the ground, according to the video. The police killed my brother, in the same manner they killed George Floyd, his brother Gerardo Gonzalez told reporters Tuesday. Gonzalez in the video acts dazed and struggles to answer officers questions. Gonzalez, 26, of Oakland, died on April 19 at a hospital after being pinned down as Alameda police tried to arrest him. In April, police in Alameda, California, kneeled on Mario Gonzalezs back for nearly five minutes before he died. Parking enforcement officer Charlie Clemmens, who the city also determined was involved in the death, "is not being scheduled for work," Henry said. If they had rolled him on his side when the first officer said to, my sons father might still be here.. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. The second caller said Gonzalez was lingering in Scout Park at the corner of Oak and Powell streets, with what the caller suspected were stolen bottles of alcohol. hide caption. The officers approach to Mr Gonzalez detention and arrest and their use of force appeared reasonable under the circumstances, the report says. He added that he's "committed to full transparency and accountability into the tragic death of Mr. Gonzalez, and as soon as more information is available, we will continue to share it. We are struggling with these daily routines while carrying the burden of grief.. The city said Civilian Parking Enforcement employee Charlie Clemmens was also involved. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? 2. Edith Arenales of Oakland holds a picture of her son, Mario Gonzalez, who was killed by Alameda police on April 19, 2021. The sheriffs office is also convening a cause and manner of death committee to review the case before releasing any findings, sheriff spokesman Sgt. Mario Gonzalezs family is still grieving without answers more than six months after the young Latino father died when police in Alameda, California, kneeled on his back for nearly five minutes. The initialpress releasefrom the Alameda Police said that officers attempted to detain Gonzalez, and a "physical altercation ensued." An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. ", "It was the toxic level of drugs not the actions of the officers," Berry Wilkinson said in an interview. ey. No officers were charged. Sherwin argues that is "a pretty low level of methamphetamine" that's comparable to or even lower than concentrations of the drug often seen in 'recreational' use of the drug. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. In a case that drew national attention and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd an autopsy report released Friday for a California man who died in April after being restrained by police identifies his manner of death a homicide but cites methamphetamine toxicity as the leading cause. A person holds up a Justice 4 Mario sign while listening in to an April 27 news conference hosted by Mario Gonzalezs family and supporters outside the Alameda Police Department. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body camera video, Alameda Police Department officers pin 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest, April 19, in Alameda, Calif. Gonzalez stopped breathing during the arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. His face had minor abrasions. She's says she's hopeful the Alameda County District Attorney's office "will do their job and prosecute the officers for the homicide that they committed, to hold those officers accountable in criminal court in Alameda County. But he questioned the coroners finding that methamphetamine was the main cause of Gonzalezs death. / CBS/AP. AP Moreover, officers are trained to take particular care with those like Gonzalez who may be especially vulnerable because of their body weight, intoxication or other factors, said Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff and legal adviser for the Plumas County, California, sheriff's office. Gonzalez, a 26-year-old Oakland man, stopped breathing after several Alameda police officers held him face-down on the ground for roughly five minutes. According to the toxicology report released, Gonzalez had .9 milligrams of meth per liter in his system. Its been a long year, just the way weve been treated by the legal process., My brother was a human, he added. , but the video shows Gonzalez stopped breathing on site and one officer declaring no pulse as officers began CPR. "Mario would not have died were it not for being restrained in a prone position, with multiple officers on his back, for over five minutes," Sherwin tells NPR. Gonzalez, who weighed about 250 pounds, by that point is lying facedown on some wood chips and can be heard shouting and grunting as the officers use body weight to control him. "Once they're controlling him, as we learned from the Floyd trial with all those medical experts, this position or compression is deadly," said Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina and an expert on police use of force. The cause of Gonzalezs death was the toxic effects of The toxicology report by Ascertain Forensics was conducted a month after Gonzalez's death, and his autopsy was signed by Alameda County Chief Forensic Pathologist Vivian S. Snyder on Sept. 25, records show. And he needs to find his justice one way or another.. A man died after being restrained by police in California. A week after Gonzalezs death, the city identified the officers placed on leave as James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinely. Two wrongful death suits, nearly mirroring one another, have been filed against the City of Alameda alleging the officers detained Gonzalez without reasonable suspicion and caused him to die of asphyxia. Officers in Alameda, California, arrived April 19 to check out neighbors' reports that Mario Gonzalez was acting strangely in a park and appeared to be breaking the security tags off of alcohol bottles he had in two drugstore baskets. Members of the Gonzalez family believe police used excessive force when they attempted to arrest him. Alameda Police "mishandled" the arrest of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez last week and caused his death, according to the attorney representing the man's family. Gonzalez died April 19 after police pinned him to the ground for at least five minutes. Dec 13, 2021, 05:41 PM EST. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Michael Haddad, an attorney representing Gonzalez and his young son, who is also named Mario, said he didnt need an autopsy to deduce that Gonzalezs death was a homicide, or that the police restraint was a factor. The Alameda County Sheriffs office has asked outside agencies to assist in reviewing the autopsy of Mario Gonzalez, who died in the custody of Alameda police His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Heres how. "Officers have been instructed to not keep handcuffed subjects prone (face-down) and to instead roll them onto their sides for going on 30 years," said Seth Stoughton, who teaches criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. After Oakland man dies in custody, Alameda looks at possible changes in policing The stress of the altercation and restraint combined with prone positioning in the setting of morbid obesity and recent use of methamphetamine placed further strain on Mr. Gonzalez Arenales heart. ", The union representing police officers did not respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the six-month anniversary of Gonzalezs death by police, family members and other loved ones gathered with candles for a vigil at the Alameda park where Mario died at age 26. James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley be fired and charged. Gonzalezs cause of death is not yet known. The officers who restrained Gonzalez, James Fisher, Cameron Leahy, and Eric McKinley, remain on administrative leave while the investigation continues, city of Alameda spokeswoman Sarah Henry told KTVU. Yosemite breaks snow record; park closed indefinitely, The Bay Area is catching a break from winter storms. On April 19, police in the Bay Area city of Alameda responded to a report of an intoxicated man and a possible theft. "We don't even know the cause of death right now," he said. WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO:Alameda officers kneel on man before his death, Several experts have said that officers have long been trained not to handcuff people facedown on the ground as it can lead to "restraint asphyxia.". The police should have known to use better tactics with Mario. At that time, the man had a medical emergency., Another news release said that there was a scuffle as officers attempted to place his hands behind his back., The protection of human life is our primary duty as police officers, interim Police Chief Randy Fenn said last week in announcing a series of investigations into the death. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Separately, the Police Department is conducting an internal affairs probe into the altercation, and the district attorney is reviewing the case to determine whether to file criminal charges. Its a video that has drawn comparison to that of the George Floyd killing. Mario Gonzalez Died Of 'Restraint Asphyxiation' By Police, New Autopsy Finds An independent autopsy confirmed what the Latino fathers family had declared: Police in An attorney for the officers said they did nothing wrong. All three remain on paid leave. ALAMEDA The death of Mario Gonzalez, the 26-year-old man who died just over a year ago in Alameda police custody, was caused by restraint asphyxiation, He said the lack of accountability for the police officers was bullcrap., We know that what happened wasnt right, Jerry said. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. All three remain on paid leave. He wasnt hurting anyone and he was clearly confused. 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM of meth per liter in his system was low attorneys office and. Was anxious and was prescribed medications to help police Chief Randy Fenn told KTVU-TV said the video speaking! 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