The mom of Irvo Otieno, the Black man reportedly killed by seven deputies in a Virginia state-run psychological hospital, mentioned the “traumatic” video exhibiting him being “tortured” like an animal… worse than a canine.”
“My son was treated like a dog, worse than a dog,” Caroline Ouko mentioned Thursday after seeing the “heartbreaking,” “disturbing” and “traumatic” footage of her 28-year-old son’s March 6 demise.
“My Son Was Tortured. I Saw The Torture,” Victim’s Mother Says
She continued: “My son was tortured. I saw the torture,” she mentioned of “seven officers on one man,” allegedly together with one pinning her son with a knee on his neck, eerily much like George Floyd’s demise, the New York Post stories.
“He was treated inhumanely. It was traumatic — and it was systematic,” she mentioned, saying the abuse “went on and it went on until he took his last breath.”
Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, of Henrico; Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, of Sandston; Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, of Henrico; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, of Henrico; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, of Henrico; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, of Henrico; and Kaiyell👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/be6xba0BaA
— 🤎⚜️DarkAveryMariah⚜️🤎 (@DarkAveryMariah) (*7*)
She went on to say: “He was murdered! They smothered the breath out of my baby. They murdered my baby,” she mentioned, preventing again tears as she mentioned: “I do not wish this on anyone else.”
No One Stood Up To Help Him: ‘There Was A Chance To Rescue Him’
She additionally spoke of the ache she suffered that “no one stood up to help” her son, who was on the native hospital voluntarily for assist earlier than being taken to jail after which in the end fatally restrained at Central State Hospital, a psychological well being facility in Petersburg.
“Mental illness should not be your ticket to death. There was a chance to rescue him,” she mentioned. “We have to do better.”
RELATED: Seven Virginia Deputies Charged With Murder In Death Of Black Man At State-Run Psychiatric Hospital
Meanwhile, Otieno’s older brother, Leon Ochieng, mentioned he had been returning dwelling to Virginia for his weekend when it became a “tragic, senseless, inhumane nightmare.”
“Words can’t describe what I just saw today,” he mentioned of footage of his brother’s demise that left his household “broken.”
“What I saw was a lifeless human being, without any representation. No regard to his human life,” he mentioned.
What To Know About Irvo Otieno, Whose Death At A Mental Health Facility Sparked 10 Murder Charges https://t.co/nXeVqv21rg pic.twitter.com/hFRmMGX025
— Forbes (@Forbes) March 17, 2023
He continued: “I witnessed a homicide. I did not think in my life that I would witness my own blood brother being murdered,” he mentioned, having to pause to hug his mom after turning into overwhelmed.
Seven Deputies Charged With Second-Degree Murder In Otieno’s demise
Seven deputies have been charged with second-degree homicide. They are Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30.
Acclaimed civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who’s representing the household, mentioned the video confirmed Otieno being pinned down for round 11 to 12 minutes earlier than his demise by asphyxiation.
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