Police bodycam video shows man’s death
Dallas Police body camera footage released this week after a three-year legal fight shows a 32year-old man’s last moments after he was pinned to the ground by officers.
The man, Tony Timpa, had called 911 from the parking lot of a pornography store on Aug. 10, 2016, telling the dispatcher he needed help, The Dallas Morning News and NBC5 reported after a lengthy investigation. He said he had schizophrenia and was off his medication. By the time the police arrived, Timpa was highly agitated and had been handcuffed by security guards.
The video footage shows how responding officers restrained Timpa as he pleaded for them to let him go.
“You’re going to kill me,” he shouted repeatedly.
The footage, which the news organizations had sought, is part of a lawsuit filed by Timpa’s family alleging that the police used excessive force. A federal judge ruled in favor of a motion by the media organizations to release the records Monday.
The officers pinned Timpa face down on a patch of grass, the video shows, for more than 13 minutes. They joked and laughed, with one officer suggesting a “Greek Oaks cocktail,” a reference to a local psychiatric facility. Their laughter continued after he stopped moving or making any sounds.
“Back to school! Come on, wake up!” one officer quipped as they tried to rouse him.
After Timpa was loaded into an ambulance, the officers grew concerned about whether he was breathing.
“I hope I didn’t kill him,” one officer says, as his colleagues continue to laugh.
The paramedics were unable to revive Timpa. An autopsy classified his death as a homicide, a victim of sudden cardiac death due to “the toxic effects of cocaine and the stress associated with physical restraint.”
The news organizations first reported on Timpa’s death in a 2017 investigation that showed that the police refused to say how he died. The city and county had fought to prevent the release of records related to Timpa’s death, arguing it would interfere with an open criminal case, the organizations reported. Afterward, officials said the records could not be released because a case against three of the police officers never went to trial.
Sgt. Kevin Mansell and Officers Danny Vasquez and Dustin Dillard were indicted in 2017 by a grand jury on charges of misdemeanor deadly conduct. But the charges were dismissed in March by the Dallas County district attorney, John Creuzot.
In a statement then, Creuzot said three medical examiners, including one hired by Timpa’s family, said they did not believe the officers acted recklessly. They could not testify “to the elements of the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt,” Creuzot said.
The Dallas Police Department said Thursday that the three officers have returned to active duty. Two other officers were disciplined over the incident. The department declined to offer any other comment, citing the ongoing litigation.