Harrowing surveillance footage was released of a black teenage boy being restrained by seven men, at Michigan’s Youth Center.
The gruesome video clearly shows how the boy died after a group of men held him down, for throwing a sandwich in the center’s cafeteria.
The recent footage was released this Tuesday, showing the exact moment when the 16-year-old male, Cornelius Fredericks, was forcefully pushed towards the ground and pinned down by the staffers. The incident is reported to have taken place on April 29th at the famous Lakeside Academy, situated in Kalamazoo.
The 16-year-old teen immediately went into a state of cardiac arrest, while being forcefully restrained. He later died at the hospital, just two days later.
Cornelius’s cause of death was listed as a homicide, while three staffers are detained for involuntary manslaughter as well as charges about second-degree child abuse.
Geoffrey Fieger, the attorney general from the Detroit area, released the footage as a part of the civil lawsuit that he filed against Michigan Youth Center, on request of the deceased black teen’s family.
According to Fieger, the helpless teenager screamed, ‘I can’t breathe,’ while being kept in a restraining position, at the cafeteria. Similarly, the video that doesn’t appear to have any sound, showcased how the black teen was restrained for a good 8 minutes.
Furthermore, the shocking surveillance revealed how several of the men tried to pull as well as hold down Frederick’s arms and legs, while the others laid across his abdomen and chest.
The terrifying video ends with the black teen appearing limp while falling back towards the ground, despite staffers’ attempt towards setting him up. At that moment, others in the surrounding appeared to give the boy CPR.
Authorities claim that Fredericks went into a cardiac arrest, the moment he was being restrained. He was hospitalized after the horrible incident, dying just two days later.
The young black teen’s death was ruled by officials as a homicide, with the doctor that performed his autopsy claiming that the restraining resulted in asphyxia.
With so many people accused and involved in the incident, the family awaits justice to be served.