A man in the city of Alameda, California died after the police officer from Alameda Police Department pinned him on the ground for at least five minutes. The man identified as Mario Gonzalez died similarly as George Floyd, who died last year after a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled him down for almost nine minutes. The 26-year-old man from Oakland died on April 19, shortly after police interaction.
On Tuesday, the Alameda Police Department released the body-cam footage of the confrontation with Gonzalez. The Police Department previously reported that the man died after a scuffle with the police officers, but the footage shows otherwise. Authorities also mentioned that the man suffered from some sort of medical complication shortly after the interaction with the on-site police officers.
Gonzalez’s family criticized to release the body-cam footage from the confrontation. The city of Alameda released an hour-long video that includes multiple footage from different officers who were on the site. The video also featured the original 911 call. Police Department reportedly edited the footage to conceal personal information and also blurred the face of Mr. Gonzalez.
The footage draws similarity to the death of a black man, George Floyd
Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled Floyd for nine straight minutes. He continued to stress Floyd’s neck even though he complained that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder and manslaughter the day after the death of Gonzalez. In the video released by the city of Alameda, the police officer seemed to place his hand and legs at the back of Gonzalez to restrain him.
The authorities are waiting for an autopsy report to determine the cause of the death. Gonzalez’s family believes that he was murdered. The Police Department revealed that three investigations are going on simultaneously. Eric Levitt, Alameda City Manager hired San Francisco’s former city attorney, Louise Renne to investigate the incident independently.
Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department is also conducting criminal investigations. The Alameda city’s official website issued a statement claiming that full transparency and accountability will be provided in the Gonzalez’s death. Every police officers involved in the incident are on paid leave.
