DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. -- After watching security camera footage of Irvo Otieno's death at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Otieno's mother and older brother spoke out and demanded answers and accountability following their loved one's death.
"What I saw today was heartbreaking. It was disturbing. It was traumatic. My son was tortured," Caroline Ouko said. "Mental illness should not be your ticket to death. There was a chance to rescue him, there was a chance to stop what was going on."
The video from a state mental hospital showed Otieno, 28, handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the ground by seven Henrico County Sheriff's deputies. Those deputies now face second-degree murder charges in his death.
During Thursday's news conference, Mark Krudys, an attorney for Otieno's family, described how all seven of the deputies pushed down “every part of his body” with “absolute brutality.”
“I was not really prepared to see this,” Krudys said of the video footage, stressing that Otieno was in handcuffs and leg irons. “You can see that they’re putting their back into it. Every part of his body is being pushed down with absolute brutality. You cannot even see his image many times.”
Otieno had a history of mental health struggles and was experiencing mental distress during his initial encounter with law enforcement earlier this month, according to statements from his family and one of their attorneys.
He died March 6 as he was admitted to Central State Hospital south of Richmond, Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said in a news release Tuesday announcing the charges against the deputies.
Irvo's brother, Leon Ochieng, asked when America seems to consider mental illness a crime.
"Every single family in America, you are dealing with mental illness in the family, one or two or three people are dealing with mental illness," Ochieng said. "You should have confidence and knowing that the local police or local government is working to make sure that the care that you receive from the minute that they deal with you is at most focus on preserving your life but not ending it."
Earlier Thursday, it was announced that three now former Central State Hospital employees were also charged with second-degree murder in connection to Otieno's death.
Prior to Thursday's press conference, Otieno's family released statements Wednesday through their lawyer and demanded answers about what led up to their loved one's death.
Attorney Mark Krudys said the family was deeply disturbed by the information they learned so far and that Otieno needed help for a mental health crisis was he suffering.
Otieno's family is also working along with Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney known for representing victims in police brutality cases.
What's been described so far “paints a heinous and inhumane image," Crump, who represented the family of George Floyd, said in a statement.
"It is truly shocking that nearly three years after the brutal killing of George Floyd by police, another family is grieving a loved one who allegedly died in nearly the exact same manner — being pinned down by police for 12 agonizing minutes," Crump said.
Otieno, whose family is from Kenya, was a deeply loved and well-regarded young man, an aspiring musician who had been a well-known high school athlete in the area, Krudys has said.
He first came into the custody of law enforcement March 3, according to a timeline provided by Henrico County Police, a separate agency.
The police department said in a news release that officers responding to a report of a possible burglary on March 3 in western Henrico County encountered Otieno, and based on his behavior, put him under an emergency custody order and took him to a local hospital for evaluation.
The news release did not describe the behavior that led to the order.
In an interview Thursday, Krudys said a neighbor called police over concern about Otieno gathering lawn lights from a yard.
Krudys said Otieno's mother tried to de-escalate the initial police encounter and the family supported his being taken to a hospital, believing that he needed mental health treatment.
While he was at the hospital, police said he became “became physically assaultive toward officers, who arrested him” and took him to a local jail that is managed by the Henrico Sheriff’s Office, where he was served with several charges.
Around 4 p.m. on March 6, employees of the sheriff's office arrived at the Central State Hospital south of Richmond to admit Otieno, Baskervill said.
Krudys said there was a delay in getting Otieno needed medications while he was in jail. He also said the family does not understand why Otieno was taken from the jail to the state hospital about 45 minutes away rather than to a local mental health facility.
“It’s just incredibly tragic. And it also evokes a lot of anger with regard to the family as to how their loved one was treated,” Krudys said.
The judge set bail for two of the deputies. The other deputies were in the process of securing legal counsel and remained in custody, news outlets reported.
One of the defense attorneys suggested that two medical injections Otieno received may have played a role in his death, which Baskervill disputed, the Times-Dispatch reported.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not made public its final determination on the cause and manner of Otieno's death.
Edward Nickel, an attorney for Deputy Bradley Disse, one of the defendants, said in an email Thursday that Disse has served “honorably” during a 20-year career with the sheriff's department.
“He is looking forward to his opportunity to try this case and for the full truth to be shared in court and ultimately vindicated,” Nickel said in an email.
Another defense attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Baskervill has said the Virginia State Police, which is handling the investigation, was not called to the hospital until several hours after Otieno died.
News outlets, including The Associated Press, have sought video of the altercation from the state agency that runs the hospital or Virginia State Police. Officials are withholding it from public view, citing the pending investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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