Police Misconduct Lawyer Arlington, Texas – A Police Officer Faces Expected Charges in the Death of an Unarmed Black Man
On the early morning of May 14, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, 40-year-old Tashii Brown, an unarmed black man, approached two officers at a coffee shop in a casino, the Venetian. Brown said he was being chased, and the officers said he was behaving erratically. Brown then took off running. One of the officers chased Brown, and video from the officer’s body camera shows that he fired his Taser a total of seven times. He then allegedly punched Brown and then used a chokehold on him as he was lying on his stomach. Afterwards, Brown was unresponsive. He was given CPR and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officer who allegedly chased him and put him in a chokehold was arrested and is expected to be charged with involuntary manslaughter and oppression under the color of office. Each of the counts carries a maximum prison sentence of four years.
On June 5, 2017, Brown’s death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner and medical examiner. The autopsy shows that police restraint procedures caused asphyxia, leading to death. Brown had other significant health conditions, however, including an enlarged heart and methamphetamine intoxication.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said the charges against the officer are a result of evidence gathered from the body-worn cameras, video surveillance, witness statements, and the coroner’s findings.
Brown’s family members released a statement that they believed first-degree murder charges were appropriate, and they do not think justice is served by the two lesser charges.
The incident sparked protests that led to blockage of the Las Vegas Strip and approximately 12 arrests on May 28. Calls by the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union renewed calls to ban the use of chokeholds by police officers in Las Vegas.
The officer was arrested and booked into Clark County Jail Monday and was bailed out an hour later by the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, on $6,000 bail.
–Guest Contributor
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