Bodycam footage shows arrest of man who died in Phoenix police custody

Phoenix police released audio and edited body camera footage after a man died when being detained by officers in July.

On July 20, at about 2:18 p.m., Phoenix police responded to conduct a welfare check at a shopping plaza. When officers arrived, they found a man matching the description from the call on the northeast corner of 19th Avenue and Union Hills Drive.

A critical incident briefing, which included updated information from Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Brian Bower, a portion of the 911 call and edited body camera footage was released on Thursday.

In the portion of the 911 call that was released, a woman tells the dispatcher that she saw a homeless man acting "a little aggressive" and walking back and forth along the shopping strip.

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The operator then reports to officers that the man was pacing while "yelling at himself" and "hitting himself," the audio shows.

Bower said in the briefing that when officers arrived, they saw the man described on the call walking through the shopping center.

"Officers tried to contact him, however, the man did not respond and continued to walk away," Bower said.

Edited body camera footage from one of the officers on the scene shows him walking toward the man, whistling at him and trying to get his attention. As the man continues to walk away, the officer tells him, "Alright, just keep walking then."

Moments later, a Phoenix police cruiser can be seen driving past the officer, trying to flag the man down before stopping alongside a curb as the man continues to walk.

"Both officers ended their body-worn camera recording while the man continued to walk south through the shopping plaza," Bower said. "From a distance, officers saw the man stumble and fall into a brick landscaping wall near Union Hills Drive."

Upon seeing this, officers drove to the man and restarted their body cameras, Bower said.

Edited body camera footage at this juncture shows one of the officers telling the man to stop as he has his hand on top of a wall. The officer then pulls down the man's arms, ordering him to "sit down."

Another officer is seen grabbing the man's other arm, with both telling him to sit.

"Kick his feet, Cody," one officer says as they wrestle the shirtless man to the pavement.

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Officers then pick the man back up off the ground, handcuff him and walk him over into the shade of a nearby storefront and request aid from the fire department.

Footage shows that as Phoenix fire crews respond to provide the man with medical aid, he becomes unresponsive. One of the paramedics can be heard in the footage say, "yeah, he's not breathing, guys." Officers then move in to remove the handcuffs from the man, where the video ends.

The man was later transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Bower said.

According to the briefing, the officers involved have been with the department for four and 12 years and are assigned to the Black Mountain Precinct, Bower said.

Bower told The Arizona Republic that both officers are back to work on patrol status as the incident continues to be investigated by homicide detectives as well as an ongoing administrative investigation.

"Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known, and the investigation is complete. An internal investigation by the Professional Standard Bureau is currently underway, in addition to a criminal investigation. Once the criminal investigation is complete, it will then be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office," a statement accompanying the video release read.

No other information had been released.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police release bodycam footage after man dies in custody