Bodycam video shows Indiana deputies handcuffing, holding down man who died after seizure
DEMOTTE, Ind. (CBS) -- Body camera footage was released Friday showing officers handcuffing and restraining a man who later died after having a seizure in Northwest Indiana.
Rhyker Earl, 26, suffered a seizure on the night of Sunday, Sept. 8, at a home in DeMotte, Indiana, about an hour and 15 minutes south and east of Chicago.
On Friday, the Jasper County, Indiana Sheriff's office released bodycam video from three of its deputies. A fourth video combined material from each of the deputies' body cameras to provide as continuous a view as possible of the chain of events, the sheriff's office said.
Earl's family and civil rights attorneys have been asking for weeks to see the video. The Jasper County Sheriff's office released it after being given permission to do so by Indiana State Police.
On the evening of Sept. 8, Earl's grandmother had called 911 for help, and Jasper County sheriff's officers came to the home.
In one of the video clips, a deputy enters the house — where other deputies are inside and Earl is heard saying, "Leave me the f*** alone." Earl's grandmother is then heard telling the deputies that her grandson has been suffering from seizures.
A deputy is then heard yelling at Earl, who by this time is in another room: "Don't f***ing touch the medics! You're going to the hospital, all right? Don't f***ing hit them! You understand? You don't f***ing hit them!"
The family had said when Earl was still recovering from his seizure, he was confused and agitated and fell into an officer.
Later in the video, Earl can be seen in handcuffs face down on the kitchen floor, being pinned into place by multiple deputies and medics. Earl shrieks repeatedly, "Guys! Please!" and also says more than once, "I'm going to die!" One of the first responders is also seen injecting Earl with something twice.
The video shows Earl's grandmother present in the kitchen, as she tells him the first responders and deputies are trying to help him. He is ultimately quiet as he is loaded onto a spineboard.
The sheriff's office said Earl can be seen in the video banging his head on the floor, at which time deputies placed a pillow under his head to prevent him from injuring himself. The sheriff said the officers deliberately placed Earl in a position that would not restrict his breathing.
But attorneys from Earl's family said as soon as officers and EMTs arrived, the situation escalated. They said Earl was confused and still recovering from the seizure when he was handcuffed face down.
Earl's aunt, Miracle Gawlinski, said he went limp after about 15 minutes. Gawlinski said she noticed Earl was turning blue. An EMT took his pulse, and he was not breathing, she said.
Earl, a father of two, was taken off life support on Sept. 10.
Earlier this month, Jasper County, Indiana Sheriff Patrick Williamson Sr. said officers followed proper training during the incident. Williamson said the family attorney "has gaslit this community and the nation with gross falsehoods concerning the actions of our deputies."
The sheriff's office said Friday that in releasing the video, it is not drawing any conclusions about anyone's actions in the incident.
A family member of Earl's declined to comment Friday on the newly-released video, but said the family will speak publicly Monday morning. The family member also said a vigil for Earl will be held Sunday night in Rensselaer, Indiana.
