Restraint of armed robber contributed to death
THE grieving family of a Birmingham armed robber who died after being restrained by an off-duty police officer said they wanted to visit him in a prison – “not a cemetery”.
It comes after the conclusion of an inquest into the death of Shane Bryant in Ashby de la Zouch.
The inquest was held in Loughborough after the death of Bryant who was restrained by off-duty police for 17 minutes.
The coroners’ court jury concluded that some of the force used to restrain Bryant, after he was caught robbing a Co-op in Ashby, was unreasonable and contributed to his death. Bryant died of multiple organ failure because he was unable to breathe after being restrained on the floor for more than 17 minutes.
His family has said that, while Bryant was in the wrong and should have been punished, they should have been able to see him in prison, not a cemetery.
They said that people needed to acknowledge what happens when people are restrained in these situations.
Bryant’s brother, Dean, said: “We fully accept Shane was doing something wrong that day, and yes, he should’ve been punished, he should’ve got locked up for however amount of time.
“But I should’ve been able to visit him in a jail, not a cemetery.
“We feel like there’s a lot of this going on and it’s getting covered up or maybe not treated with the magnitude that it is.
“The awareness is there already, but people need to acknowledge the facts of what happens when people are held in these situations and stuff, to have such a disregard for a life, just because it’s a black life, it doesn’t matter.
“Well it matters to us, it matters to us.”