Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

Video Shows US Cops Restraining Black Man Who Died At Mental Hospital

Video Shows US Cops Restraining Black Man Who Died At Mental Hospital

Irvo Otieno's death has already drawn murder charges against the officers and guards involved, thrusting the spotlight back on US law enforcement brutality.

Disturbing video footage released Tuesday shows the death of a 28-year-old Black man as he was being admitted to a US mental hospital, where he was forcibly restrained by as many as 10 police officers and hospital security guards.


Irvo Otieno's March 6 death in Virginia has already drawn murder charges against the officers and guards involved, thrusting the spotlight back on US law enforcement brutality and the treatment of mental health patients in particular.

Otieno was already in handcuffs and leg restraints when police brought him from the Henrico County jail near Richmond, Virginia, to Central State Hospital in nearby Petersburg.

The Washington Post published a nine-minute video, drawn from 27 minutes of hospital surveillance footage of the incident.

The edited clip shows the seven officers bringing the shirtless and shoeless Otieno into a room at the hospital on March 6.

In the video he does not appear to struggle.

They place him on the floor and then hold him down at length, the purpose unclear, with one officer laying on him and another apparently pressing his knee to Otieno's head or neck, while up to 10 hospital workers watch, some sometimes helping out.

Eventually he goes limp and efforts by police and hospital workers to resuscitate him proved fruitless.

Seven police officers and three hospital workers, most of whom were also African American, were charged with second-degree murder in the case.

Otieno was taken by police into custody three days earlier after experiencing a mental health crisis.

Held for three days in the local jail, he was then transferred to the Central State Hospital, where he died.

According to preliminary autopsy results, he died of asphyxiation while being "physically restrained," Dinwiddie County District Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said in a statement.

Last week his mother Caroline Ouko said he was "going through mental illness."

"My son was treated like a dog, worse than a dog. I saw it with my own eyes... they smothered my baby," she said.

Ben Crump, a nationally-known attorney who has represented the families of a number of African Americans killed or injured in police custody, has been retained by Otieno's family.

Mr Crump has drawn a parallel between Otieno's case and the murder of George Floyd, a Black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer shocked the world in 2020, triggering a mass mobilisation against racism and police brutality.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
×