Shocking video: 'Help me! I'm choking on my blood'
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
A disturbing video has emerged showing the final moments of an American soldier who died while in police custody.
Sgt James Brown reported to the El Paso County Jail in 2012 to serve a two-day sentence for driving while intoxicated.
The graphic video obtained by US TV station KFOX14, shows riot police storming Brown’s cell after he 'refused to answer a guard'.
Soon after Brown can be heard yelling “I can't breathe! Help me! I'm choking on my blood!”
He says this a further 19 times throughout the video.
The soldier, who was only supposed to spend 48 hours in jail, had earlier called his mother to say officers were trying to keep him in prison for seven days.
That was the last time his family heard from him.
The family’s Attorney, B.J. Crow, said it's unclear what happened to the young father after the call.
It's alleged at some point during his detention, the 26-year-old suffered a medical episode that caused him to bleed from his mouth, nose and ears.
He was then strapped to a chair, given two sedatives and fitted with an anti-spit mask.
After being given some water to drink, Brown was placed naked on his bed.
He can be heard taking very shallow breaths and seen staring at officers.
Brown then looses consciousness and is taken to the University Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed Brown died from sickle cell crisis, brought on by dehydration and stress.
But his family claim his death was a result of his treatment by prison guard and filed a federal lawsuit.
“I pray that new laws protecting soldiers in custody will be implemented,” Brown's mother Dinetta Robinson-Scott said in a statement.
“When a 26-year-old man checks into jail for a court imposed sentence on a Friday, and he leaves Sunday in a casket, something went horribly wrong there,” Attorney, B.J. Crow told KFOX14.
The El Paso County Sheriff described Brown’s death ‘an unfortunate tragedy’ but said it was the result of an existing medical condition.
Weekend Sunrise news break – May 16
