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    • Ohio police officers charged with reckless homicide
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    Ohio police officers charged with reckless homicide

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    The charges come more than six months after Frank E. Tyson, 53, died after a standoff with police.

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    CANTON, Ohio – Two Ohio police officers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a A Black Man Who Pleaded ‘I Can’t Breathe’ several times while being detained by police earlier this year, prosecutors said.

    Canton Police Officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch, both 24, were booked into the Stark County Jail on Friday. Their arrests came after a Stark County grand jury issued indictments against them.

    Schoenegge and Burch were each charged with reckless homicide because it was the “most accurate” description of the crime they committed, Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone said at a news conference Saturday. By law, the third-degree felony charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

    “No one is above the law and no one is so far below it that they don’t deserve its protection,” Stone said.

    The indictments come more than six months after Frank E. Tyson, 53, died after a fight with police on April 18 inside an AMVETS building in Canton, a city about 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. INCIDENT sparked public outrage and protests as Bobby DiCello, an attorney for the Tysons, said it resembled The killing of George Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis.

    Both Tyson and Floyd repeated the words “I can’t breathe” before their deaths.

    Residents of the canton called city officials to hold police officers accountable, and local black community leaders noted police mistreatment of black residents. The NAACP also asked the US Department of Justice to investigate the Canton Police Department.

    In recent years, the municipal police have been involved more high-profile confrontations. Tyson’s case was the third fatal incident involving Canton police officers to be heard by a grand jury this year. In previous cases, the grand jury has not indicted the officers.

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    The reaction to the allegations in the Frank Tyson case

    Many in the group of about 50 people chanted chants such as “No justice, no peace” as Stone left Saturday’s news conference. DiCello held a press conference immediately after Stone to talk about the indictment.

    “Now we know who the bad guy is,” DiCello said. “It wasn’t Frank.” The indictment tells you who to focus on.

    Earlier Saturday, DiCello said in a statement that the Tyson family is asking for “people’s continued support as they witness the criminal trial.”

    “Today, Frank Tyson’s family breathes a sigh of relief knowing that the officers who took part in Frank’s inhumane and brutal death will not escape prosecution for their actions,” DiCello said in the statement. “This moment of relief is bittersweet because it formalizes what they’ve known for a long time: Frank is a homicide victim who didn’t deserve to be suffocated to death.”

    Cassandra White, whose son Zachary Fornash was fatally shot by a Canton police officer last year, he also spoke at the press conference. Fornash was reported to have threatened two people with a gun before he was shot and killed on December 5, 2023.

    The incident took place in less than a minute and an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation report later revealed that the weapon Fornash was carrying was a pellet gun. In September, a grand jury clarified the policeman of any crime.

    “These officers need excessive force training,” White said. “They need training in de-escalation.”

    Stark County NAACP President Hector McDaniel told The Canton Repository, part of the USA TODAY Network, that his organization stands for transparency and accountability. McDaniel said the NAACP looks for consistency in criminal charges, regardless of whether ordinary citizens or law enforcement are involved.

    “We’re very pleased that both officers are, we believe are receiving … charges consistent with the behavior that we’ve seen,” McDaniel said. “We believe we are moving towards transparency, accountability and truth.”

    Thomas West, executive director of the Greater Stark County Urban League, said in a prepared statement that the allegations align with what many expected after watching the film in April.

    “We now urge the justice system to act swiftly and bring those responsible for this tragic death to justice fully,” he said. “This incident, along with several others that have followed, highlights a troubling trend — one that suggests a belief among some law enforcement officers that they are above the law.”

    “While the initial arrest of the officers involved was a necessary first step, it is essential that the firing of the officers involved and the prosecution continue to send a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law,” he West added.

    Frank Tyson’s fatal confrontation with the police

    Tyson, of Canton Township, died April 18 after an encounter with police inside the AMVETS building. Tyson entered the club after crashing a vehicle into a nearby utility pole.

    Tyson was confronted by police inside the club, where a struggle ensued and he was placed in handcuffs. Police body camera footage showed Tyson face down on the floor with his arms cuffed behind his back for nearly eight minutes before an officer realized he had no pulse.

    The footage also showed officers taking Tyson to the floor as he screamed that the police officers were trying to kill him. One officer placed his knee on Tyson’s upper back and neck for about a minute while another police officer handcuffed him.

    Tyson said “I can’t breathe” several times, according to the footage. “You’re fine,” one of the officers replied, wrapping his hand around Tyson’s handcuffed wrist, adding, “Shut the (expletive) up.”

    Less than a minute after being handcuffed, Tyson fell silent.

    A the preliminary autopsy report released in August ruled that Tyson’s manner of death was homicide and that his cause of death was a combination of acute cocaine and alcohol intoxication, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cardiorespiratory arrest, meaning his breathing and blood circulation stopped. they stopped, in association with a physical altercation and prone restraint.

    Schoenegge and Burch were initially placed on administrative leave but later returned to limited duty. Canton police have handed over the investigation Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation — which is common in situations where a local officer shoots or kills someone.

    The union representing the police accuses local officials of playing politics

    The president of the union representing Canton police supervisors issued a statement Saturday afternoon accusing politicians and community leaders of exploiting Schoenegge and Burch as “political tools.”

    “Our officers dedicate their lives to protecting this city and ensuring that every citizen feels safe, often at great personal risk and sacrifice,” wrote Craig M. Riley, president of the Labor Council’s Gold Unit. Ohio, Fraternal Order of Police. “I empathize with the Tyson family and their grief with the tragic death of Frank Tyson. It always hurts to lose someone close, regardless of the circumstances.”

    Riley said the Fraternal Order of Police recognizes that policing, like all professions, can improve and noted that “real progress” comes from collaboration, investment and open communication. But he noted that the timing of the charges was “unfortunately convenient” because Election Day is approaching Tuesday and Stone is being challenged for his position as county attorney.

    “Some politicians and ‘community leaders’ have sought to exploit Officers Schoenegge and Burch as political tools to boost re-election campaigns,” Riley wrote. “Let’s be clear: these tactics undermine the real challenges and complex situations our officers face every day. By twisting the facts for political gain, they fail to address the true needs of our community and instead seek to slander those sworn to protect it.”

    Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY

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