SEE ALSO: Andrew Brown Jr. shot 5 times, including in back of head, attorneys say independent "Mario was a noble and decent man who didn't deserve to have his life ended in this way.". Crime and Public Safety | He adored our son and was a good father. The decision to detain and arrest Gonzalez was supported by reasonable suspicion and probable cause, but it was also supported by officer safety reasons, District Attorney Nancy OMalleys report says. He kept looking butnever had any luck. The death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, the district attorney's office and a former San Francisco city attorney hired by Alameda to lead an independent probe. Alameda Officer Eric McKinley spoke to Gonzalez for nine minutes before he and two other officers tried to arrest him, with help from a civilian parking employee. AP "They wanted to keep him from tripping, so they killed him instead? Part of HuffPost Politics. The city said Civilian Parking Enforcement employee Charlie Clemmens was also involved. A statement issued Friday by Alameda police Chief Nishant Joshi says the officers will remain on leave until the investigation is over. During the interaction with law enforcement agents, he was face-down on the ground (prone) with his hands handcuffed behind his back, and at times the officers were applying pressure to his torso and legs with at least some of the weight of their bodies. Please dont do it, Gonzalez says at one point, and then, Im sorry, followed by screams and groans. Mario Gonzalez, who died after being pinned to the ground by police officers in Alameda, California, was a father of a 4-year-old child. Mario Gonzalez, 26, died after Alameda police officers restrained him on his stomach for five minutes in a case that had echoes of the murder of George Floyd. 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died last Monday after police responded to a call about a disorderly and possibly intoxicated person. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? At least two officers knelt on him until he stopped breathing and lost his pulse. The family of an unarmed 26-year-old San Francisco Bay Area man is struggling to understand how a minor confrontation with police led to his death on the same day a jury in Minneapolis began considering similar circumstances in the George Floyd case. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! "There was no reason to detain him, let alone kill him. Toxicology exams found methamphetamine and amphetamine in Gonzalezs body, the effects of which were aggravated by the stress of his altercation with the officers, the autopsy report said. Sherwin is preparing a federal civil rights lawsuit. All three officers are on administrative leave. A Warner Bros. In the department's first announcement about Gonzalez's death, policeoriginallytold the public that hehad died of a "medical emergency" after a "scuffle" with police. The toxicology report by Ascertain Forensics was conducted a month after Gonzalez's death, and his autopsy was signed by Alameda County Chief Forensic Pathologist Vivian S. Snyder on Sept. 25, records show. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much "Itwas the strength and intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's own momentum" that caused the group to fall. At least one officer kneeled on his back for nearly five minutes until Gonzalez became unresponsive. Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests he will not be coming back, Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation, Police body camera video released a week after his death, filed a legal claim against the city of Alameda, have the autopsy reviewed by outside agencies, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life. The death of Mario Gonzalez Arenales, a 26-year-old man whose fatal encounter with Alameda police in April became a flash point in a national debate, resulted from the toxic effects of methamphetamine, combined with the physiological stress of restraint by officers and other underlying conditions, according to the Alameda County coroner. That's utterly ridiculous. Gonzalez wont produce any identification, so the officers try to force his hands behind his back to handcuff him, but he does not let his arms go limp. Officers Eric McKinley, James Fisher, and Cameron Leahy controlled Gonzalezs arms, back, and legs as his arms were cuffed behind his back, the report says. All Rights Reserved. The three police officers and the civilian employee are on administrative leave. The project will marry her graduate work in clinical psychology and more than 10 years of journalism experience. During the encounter, Gonzalez remained in a prone position with pressure applied to his posterior torso and legs, the report said. The methamphetamine detected in his blood combined with his enlarged and dilated heart could have together resulted in fatal cardiac arrhythmia, the report continued. The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. However, the independent autopsy, performed April 27, 2021 by renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, says the primary cause of death was restraint asphyxiation. Gonzalezs death is under investigation by the Alameda County Sheriffs Office and the county district attorneys office. The nearly hourlong video from two officers body cameras shows police talking to Gonzalez in a park after receiving 911 calls that he appeared to be disoriented or drunk. The nearly hourlong video from two officers body cameras shows police talking to Gonzalez in a park after receiving 911 calls that he appeared to be disoriented or drunk. That's a huge boost for the Dubs, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. No officers were charged. Clearly now the onus is on the DA to prosecute these officers for the homicide.. of Gonzalezs death, his younger brother, Jerry, spoke to a crowd of dozens of mourners in the park where he was killed. And like so many others, he hadn't been able to find work since then. The release of the autopsy report is the latest development in the controversial death, which almost immediately drew protests and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Mario is shown on the video calmly speaking with the officers for nearly nine minutes. The civil litigation filed by Gonzalezs family is ongoing and the the Citys legal team is committed to defending the City in the pending litigation, Sarah Henry, public information officer for the City of Alameda told CNN in a statement. , but the video shows Gonzalez stopped breathing on site and one officer declaring no pulse as officers began CPR. Gonzalezs family filed a legal claim against the city of Alameda last June, and their attorney told the news station KTVU they plan to file a federal lawsuit soon. The emphasis on Gonzalezs drug history incensed an attorney representing the deceased mans son, who accused the coroner of trying to shield the police from scrutiny. The long-awaited autopsy found morbid obesity and alcoholism were also contributing factors in Gonzalez's April 19 death. The Alameda County district attorneys office told HuffPost that the case is still under investigation and that the office does not comment on pending investigations. The sheriffs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Then officers can be seen putting Gonzalezs hands behind his back and pinning him facedown. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes. The officers released Gonzalez several minutes later and found him unresponsive. The family has not gotten any updates from officials in months, according to the familys attorney. An altercation occurred, an officer was seen pinning a man for at least four minutes, and soon Mario Gonzalez was dead. April 29, 2021 / 8:35 AM In Alameda County, the sheriff also oversees the coroner's office. Alameda police pinned down Mario Gonzalez. Crime and Public Safety | The APD took a calm situation and made it fatal.". It is a sad day when political expediency and obvious conflicts of interest seemingly outweigh the principles of equal justice under the law as it has in the death (of) Mario and far too many other men, women and children killed by police, Pointer said. Gonzalez, a 26-year-old Oakland man, stopped breathing after several Alameda police officers held him face-down on the ground for roughly five minutes. The next day, Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter for pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man's neck in a case that touched off a national reckoning over racism and police brutality. The officers who restrained Gonzalez, James Fisher, Cameron Leahy, and Eric McKinley, remain on administrative leave while the investigation continues, city of Alameda spokeswoman Sarah Henry told KTVU. Video Shows Police Kneeled On Mario Gonzalez's Back For 5 .. The police killed my brother, in the same manner they killed George Floyd, his brother Gerardo Gonzalez told reporters Tuesday. Body camera footage shows the police restraining Gonzalez for five minutes, at which point he went limp. The proposed reforms include creating a civilian police oversight board, revising the department's use-of-force policies and requiring a "non-police response" to certain types of 911 calls. with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. CNN The family of Mario Gonzalez Arenales, a Northern California man who died after he was restrained by police officers in April, has filed a wrongful death claim Caution: It is graphic. Published Attorney Julia Sherwin, on behalf of Gonzalezs 5-year-old son, filed a suit in December 2021 and Gonzalezs mother, Edith Arenales, also filed suit in February 2022. Mario Gonzalez autopsy will be reviewed by, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Mario Gonzalez autopsy will be reviewed by outside agencies, After Oakland man dies in custody, Alameda looks at possible changes in policing, Photos: Youth-led march honors Oakland man who died in Alameda police custody, Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew, Our family needs answers: Relatives call for swift transparency in mans death during arrest by Alameda police. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do, Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more. Those statement did not mention Gonzalez being pinned to the ground. The loss of Mr. Gonzalez is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.. With police on top of him, Gonzalez can be heard groaning under the officers weight while continuing to respond to questions. She said she plans to file a federal civil lawsuit. Im concerned that the sheriff-coroner is trying to protect the Alameda police, Haddad said, arguing that methamphetamine was a false cause of death because the amount in Gonzalezs system 907 nanograms per milliliter of blood was far too low to cause someone to suddenly drop dead.. Crime and Public Safety | The Alameda County district attorney will not file criminal charges against three police officers who restrained a Northern California man who died in their custody last year. Police said that Gonzalez then had a "medical emergency. The report notes that, according to the autopsy, Gonzalez had no lethal injuries., Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney who represents the three officers, told CNN they are grateful the district attorney recognized that this tragic death was an unintended consequence of their legitimate and lawful actions.. Little Mario will hold the officers who killed his Papi accountable in federal court, and we will fight for reforms so no other family will suffer the way Marios family has suffered from this completely preventable and senseless death., Andrea Cortez, the mother of Mario Gonzalezs child, added: Mario was a peaceful, calm person. And while the city had vowed transparency in the months after Gonzalez died, the latest update this week stated: "withholding potentially responsive material at this time remains necessary to avoid substantially interfering with the multiple investigations into the incident. Gonzalez, who weighed about 250 pounds, by that point is lying facedown on some wood chips and can be heard shouting and grunting as the officers use body weight to control him. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. The Alameda Sheriffs Office and the Alameda County District Attorneys Office are investigating the case, and the city also brought in an outside firm. Crime and Public Safety | Body camera video shows officers attempt to take Mario Gonzalez into custody on April 19, 2021. Crime and Public Safety | The cause of Gonzalezs death was the toxic effects of Mario Gonzalez Died Of 'Restraint Asphyxiation' By Police, New Autopsy Finds An independent autopsy confirmed what the Latino fathers family had declared: Police in We are still figuring out how to fill the hole left in our family when they took Mario from us, said his mother, Edith Arenales, in a statement from the familys lawyers. On April 19, police in the Bay Area city of Alameda responded to a report of an intoxicated man and a possible theft. Gonzalez, 26, died on April 19, 2021, following an encounter with three Alameda police officers who responded to a call that a person was acting strangely and talking to himself, according to a March 30 report from the Alameda County District Attorneys office. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. "While we wait for the District Attorneys office to make their decision and with the knowledge of the coroners report, the city will work diligently towards completing its ongoing independent investigation and take appropriate action," Joshi said in his statement. Though both claims are related, they will remain separate but move forward side-by-side, Sherwin told CNN. City officials stated they are "committed to full transparency and accountability in the aftermath of Mr. Gonzalez's death." An officer says, I forgive you.. "Mario would not have died were it not for being restrained in a prone position, with multiple officers on his back, for over five minutes," Sherwin tells NPR. They killed him by restraining him in a prone position, with three officers weight on him, for over five minutes, attorney Julia Sherwin said in part. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. The family also wants the California Department of Justice to investigate the police departments handling of the case. The law firm also announced an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Cortez and Gonzalezs son. Then officers can be seen putting Gonzalezs hands behind his back and pinning him facedown. "Once they're controlling him, as we learned from the Floyd trial with all those medical experts, this position or compression is deadly," said Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina and an expert on police use of force. It was not clear Friday if that had taken place. We believe it is an accurate and very comprehensive conclusion in the death of Mario Gonzalez.. No weight no weight.. She has not received a response, she said, But since Nancy OMalley refused to bring criminal charges, I will be renewing my request for a federal investigation.. 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