She joined the Chronicle in 2015 after stints at several alt weekly newspapers. No officers were charged. for the officers. The lawsuit cites a report released last week by the Alameda county coroners bureau that said the 19 April death of Mario Gonzalez was a homicide. Once the officers had lawfully attempted to detain Mr. Gonzalez, he physically resisted their efforts the entire time until he ultimately became unresponsive, the district attorneys report says. The methamphetamine detected in his blood combined with his enlarged and dilated heart could have together resulted in fatal cardiac arrhythmia, the report continued. David DeBolt spent more than a decade reporting on the East Bay, with a focus on Oakland City Hall and the Oakland Police Department, for the Bay Area News Group and The Oaklandside before transitioning to become an editor at the Bay Area News Group overseeing breaking news for The Mercury News and East Bay Times in August 2022. The city identified them Wednesday as Officer James Fisher, who has been with the Alameda Police Department since 2010, and Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley who joined in 2018. I agree with the sheriff-coroner that it is a homicide. Ray Kelly said. According to the toxicology report released, Gonzalez had .9 milligrams of meth per liter in his system. Again, my heart goes out to Mr. Gonzalez and his family.". 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. In April, police called the incident a scuffle followed by a medical emergency. But body camera footage released after an outcry from Gonzalezs family showed officers approaching Gonzalez, alone in a park with some bottles of alcohol, and Gonzalez calmly speaking with officers for nearly nine minutes. After Oakland man dies in custody, Alameda looks at possible changes in policing / CBS/AP. Nearly eight months after 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez died at the hands of police in Alameda, California, the county coroners office released a report ruling the Latino fathers death a homicide. In an earlier interview, Wilkinson said that physical struggle was because Gonzalez resisted the officers, who she said never intended for the struggle to progress the way it did. SEE ALSO: Andrew Brown Jr. shot 5 times, including in back of head, attorneys say independent Caution: It is graphic. Clearly now the onus is on the DA to prosecute these officers for the homicide.. Hes going unresponsive, one officer says. He was anxious and was prescribed medications to help. Chief forensic pathologist, Vivian Snyder, cites other significant contributing factors to Gonzalez's death, including the physiologic stress of the restraint by police during the incident as well as alcoholism and morbid obesity. The Alameda County Sheriffs office has asked outside agencies to assist in reviewing the autopsy of Mario Gonzalez, who died in the custody of Alameda police officers. The independent autopsy, which was requested by the familys attorneys, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, countered the report from the Alameda County coroners office last year, which had called the death a homicide but listed the principal cause as toxic effects of methamphetamine. The report included under other significant conditions the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, as well as obesity and alcoholism.. A previous Alameda County Sheriffs Office coroners autopsy differed on the cause of death, saying Gonzalez died of a heart attack caused by the stress of the encounter. Alameda police Officer Erick McKinley was among several officers who responded on April 19, 2021 in the citys Scout Park after a resident called police to claim Gonzalezs presence was scaring his wife. 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.. The report went through "multiple levels of scrutiny and peer-review including a committee and we absolutely stand by that work," Alameda County Sheriff public information officer Lt. Ray Kelly says of the coroner's report. The city of Alameda has repeatedly delayed releasing records under a police transparency law citing the fact that the autopsy had not yet been complete. The Alameda County coroners office is conducting an autopsy. In April, police in Alameda, California, kneeled on Mario Gonzalezs back for nearly five minutes before he died. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. This is the video released by police. 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. The county coroners office had classified the death of Mario Gonzalez Arenales as a homicide and pointed to the toxic effects of methamphetamine as the leading cause. Attorneys for his family dispute the cause. He adored our son and was a good father. 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. "This is a clear-cut case of death at the hands of police officers, and we expect the district attorney will do a criminal investigation, and they should bring criminal charges against the officers," said Julia Sherwin, a civil attorney representing Gonzalez's 5-year-old son. Civil Rights attorney Julia Sherwin, who is representing the family, says her office will continue to press their case in court that it was the officers' prone weight restraint, not meth, that killed Gonzalez. He died after three officers and a civilian parking enforcement employee pinned him face down on the ground for more than five minutes, according to body camera video released this week by police amid three separate investigations. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. Gonzalez, 26, of Oakland, died on April 19 at a hospital after being pinned down as Alameda police tried to arrest him. 16-year-old student killed in violent altercation at Santa Rosa's Californias storms arent letting up. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. Colorado cop shot and killed unarmed man at point-blank range after struggle outside middle school, video shows A person holds up a Justice 4 Mario sign while listening in to an April 27 news conference hosted by Mario Gonzalezs family and supporters outside the Alameda Police Department. 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. The APD took a calm situation and made it fatal.". In a case that drew national attention and comparisons to the murder of George Floyd an autopsy report released Friday for a California man who died in April after being restrained by police identifies his manner of death a homicide but cites methamphetamine toxicity as the leading cause. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body camera video, Alameda Police Department officers pin 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest, April 19, in Alameda, Calif. Gonzalez stopped breathing during the arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. 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. One officer puts his knee on Gonzalezs back for four minutes or more. Earlier this month, the Alameda County district attorney announced there would be no criminal charges for the officers. Discovery Company. CNNs Stella Chan contributed to this report. "Officers have been instructed to not keep handcuffed subjects prone (face-down) and to instead roll them onto their sides for going on 30 years," said Seth Stoughton, who teaches criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. State storms arent letting up. The sheriffs office is also convening a cause and manner of death committee to review the case before releasing any findings, sheriff spokesman Sgt. They are still waiting on the autopsy to be released by the coroners office. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. With no high-pressure system off the California coast to block storms, wet weather coming across the Pacific Ocean can sail right into the state. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Crime and Public Safety | former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death. April 19, 2021. Attorneys for the family of Mario Gonzalez, a Latino man who died after an Alameda officer put a knee on his back and neck for more than four minutes, are asking the Former Pleasanton cop found not guilty of murder in DUI crash IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Interim Police Chief Randy Fenn told KTVU-TV said the video was "troubling" and offered his condolences to Gonzalez's family. Members of the Gonzalez family believe police used excessive force when they attempted to arrest him. Alameda Police "mishandled" the arrest of 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez last week and caused his death, according to the attorney representing the man's family. Gonzalez died April 19 after police pinned him to the ground for at least five minutes. 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. ey. In this image taken from Alameda Police Department body-camera video, officers pin Mario Gonzalez to the ground during an arrest on April 19, 2021, in Alameda, Calif. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? 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. No weight no weight.. Examiners also detected ethanol in Gonzalezs system and found signs of alcoholism and obesity, including an enlarged and dilated heart and an enlarged liver with severe fatty change. Crime and Public Safety | Parking enforcement officer Charlie Clemmens, who the city also determined was involved in the death, "is not being scheduled for work," Henry said. 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 new autopsy results, released Wednesday, said that Gonzalez died on April 19, 2021, from restraint asphyxiation, according to forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu. In their initial public statements, Alameda police described Gonzalezs death as a medical emergency. Grieving family members invoked George Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose murder by a former police officer set off a national reckoning over police violence against people of color. Hes respectful, all the time, Marios mother, Edith Arenales, said. 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. ", "It was the toxic level of drugs not the actions of the officers," Berry Wilkinson said in an interview. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing the officers, told KTVU in Oakland that they "used the lowest degree of force possible given the intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's efforts to evade their grasp.". Our family needs answers: Relatives call for swift transparency in mans death during arrest by Alameda police 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. Video Shows Police Kneeled On Mario Gonzalez's Back For 5 .. In an autopsy report released Friday, chief forensic pathologist Vivian Snyder categorized Gonzalezs death as a homicide, while citing other factors, including methamphetamine abuse, alcoholism and morbid obesity. Gonzalez's life began to unravel during the pandemic. The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes. They began CPR and called for medical assistance. The independent autopsy confirms what we all saw with our own eyes, Julia Sherwin, an attorney for the Gonzalez family, said in a statement to the Chronicle. Then the cops put Marios hands behind his back and pinned him facedown. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. And like so many others, he hadn't been able to find work since then. 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 Part of HuffPost Politics. A spokesperson told HuffPost that the city does not have any substantive update on the investigations., These officers should have been fired the moment that the footage was revealed showing them suffocating Mario to death, Gerardo Gonzalez, his brother, said in a statement from the familys attorney. ALAMEDA The death of Mario Gonzalez, the 26-year-old man who died just over a year ago in Alameda police custody, was caused by restraint asphyxiation, according to an independent autopsy requested by family attorneys and released Wednesday. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Hes lifting my whole body weight up, an officer tells his colleague. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. That was their fatal mistake, experts said. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew to space station, Prosecution wraps case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, White House cybersecurity strategy pivots to regulation, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Rape kits from two women lead to arrest in 1979 murder of one of them, FDA authorizes first at-home test for both COVID and flu, Couple accuses fertility clinic of implanting embryo with cancer genes, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, California man dies after police pin him down, Bodycam video shows California man who died after officers pinned him to ground for 5 minutes. 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. Michael Haddad, an attorney representing Gonzalez and his young son, who is also named Mario, said he didnt need an autopsy to deduce that Gonzalezs death was a homicide, or that the police restraint was a factor. And he needs to find his justice one way or another.. And Mario's 5-year-old son, also named Mario, will hold them accountable in civil court in a federal civil rights lawsuit.". The footage from the Alameda Police Department shows the man, Mario Arenales Gonzalez, becoming unresponsive while in handcuffs and police officers quickly No officers were charged. Police Chief Nishant Joshi extended condolences to Gonzalezs family in a statement. 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.. I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. The three police officers and the civilian employee are on administrative leave. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. The officers roll Gonzalez over and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said Gonzalez died later at the hospital, but the video shows Gonzalez stopped breathing on site and one officer declaring no pulse as officers began CPR. Gonzalez, 26, died April 19, 2021, as he was being restrained outside 802 Oak St. in Alameda. It is unclear if the city will lift the hold on the release of more information now that the autopsy has been released. The three officers remain on paid administrative leave, according to the city of Alameda. The family has not gotten any updates from officials in months, according to the familys attorney. 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. The autopsy also noted that Gonzalez had more than 20 cuts and bruises. The officers, as they seek to restrain him, repeatedly ask Gonzalez for his full name and birth date. Three police officers in Alameda, California a scuffle followed by a medical.... County coroners office is conducting an autopsy going unresponsive, one officer puts his knee on Gonzalezs back 5. A BS degree in communications Gonzalez family believe police used excessive force when they attempted arrest! Of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications his colleague family has not any. Resuscitation, but he was being restrained outside 802 Oak St. in Alameda,,... Also noted that Gonzalez had more than 20 cuts and bruises as they to. 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