Cinncinatti man's death: police brutality or drugs

[Auset]

Everyone should have had a chance to hear about this story but just in case I'm going to post it in full with out leaving a thing out and then we can disscuss so hold on for me.

CINCINNATI, Ohio (AP) -- A 350-pound black man died after being struck repeatedly by police wielding metal nightsticks, and the mayor said Monday a videotape showed that the officers were defending themselves.

The cause of death was under investigation.

Black activists say the death Sunday of Nathaniel Jones, 41, was another example of brutality involving Cincinnati police.

The fatal shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old black man by a white police officer in April 2001 prompted four days of rioting in the city.

The disturbances resulted in dozens of injuries, more than 800 arrests and widespread property damage.

"How many of our people have to die before the city decides to do something about it?" said Nathaniel Livingston Jr. of the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati.

The Rev. Daymond Lynch, a leader of the Black United Front, said he was reserving judgment until more was known about the case.

But, Lynch said, "if police officers act improperly, we expect them to be held accountable."

The officers who were at the scene -- five whites and one black -- were placed on administrative leave, which is policy while investigators examine any police encounter that results in a death.

The confrontation was videotaped by a camera on a police cruiser. After seeing the video, Mayor Charlie Luken rejected activists' demand that he force police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. to resign.

"What I saw was a ... man violently attacking a police officer in a manner that put the lives of police officers at risk," Luken said.

"While the investigations will continue, there is nothing on those tapes to suggest that the police did anything wrong."

Luken said he agreed with the initial police assessment that the officers who struggled with Jones defended themselves as they were trained to do when attacked.

An employee at a White Castle fast-food restaurant called 911 early Sunday to report that a man had passed out on the grass outside. Emergency personnel arrived and reported that the man was awake and "becoming a nuisance," according to police radio transmissions.

The first two officers to arrive, Baron Osterman and James Pike, were shown on the video striking Jones after he was warned to stay back.

Jones then lunged at one of the two white officers and knocked him down. As they struggled to handcuff him, the officers kept yelling, "Put your hands behind your back."

They called for an ambulance when Jones appeared to be in distress. He died within minutes of arriving at University Hospital, Assistant Chief Richard Janke said. The reason for Jones' behavior was not known, Janke said.

The treatment of the officers involved in the incident by department leaders upset Roger Webster, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Cincinnati.

"The officers were treated as criminals," he told a reporter. "They were read their rights. In that video, what did these officers do wrong?"

Black activist groups staged an economic boycott of Cincinnati after the 2001 shooting of Timothy Thomas, who was wanted on prior charges of fleeing police when he ran from officers.

Officer Stephen Roach shot him in a dark alley and was later cleared at trial of criminal charges.

Civil rights leaders blamed what they called years of abuse by the police department for the anger in the black community. Thomas was the 15th black suspect killed by police since 1995.

A federal investigation of that shooting, requested by the city, resulted in Cincinnati's April 2002 agreement to tighten use of force policies and to improve handling of citizen complaints against the police.

The agreement, signed by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, specifies when and how police officers should use force, when and how they can engage in foot pursuits, and how they deal with those who are mentally ill.

Last February, a white officer chased and fatally shot a black man who was spotted running from a store that had been broken into, police said.

The police, Hamilton County prosecutor and the Citizen Complaint Authority review panel concluded that the shooting was justified because the suspect was beating the officer with his nightstick.

[Auset]

CNN) -- The beating of a 350-pound black man by Cincinnati, Ohio, police officers Sunday was captured on videotape by a camera mounted on a squad car.

The incident began at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, when the manager of a White Castle restaurant called the Cincinnati Fire Department to report that a man was unconscious on the floor, said Lt. Kurt Byrd of the Cincinnati Police Department.

When paramedics arrived, they found Nathaniel Jones, 41, and a woman who was with him also in some sort of medical distress, Byrd said.

Jones regained consciousness, began acting strangely and left the restaurant, Byrd said.

At that point, following procedure, the fire officials called police.

The videotape shows a police cruiser arriving at the restaurant at 5:58 a.m., at which point the camera was switched off.

During the next few moments, which are not visible on tape, the two officers from the cruiser approached Jones in the parking lot of the restaurant, Byrd said.

The tape resumes rolling at 6 a.m. An officer is heard saying to Jones, "You gotta tell me what's going on."

Jones then says, "White boy, redneck," and the camera shows him lunge at the officer and attempt to put him in a headlock.

At that point, the two officers -- both of whom are white -- wrestle Jones to the ground and use their metal nightsticks to try to subdue him.

They appear to strike him around the shoulders and torso numerous times, yelling repeatedly, "Put your hands behind your back!"

Soon after, four more officers arrive, including one black officer. The word "Pepper!" is heard on the tape, an apparent reference to pepper spray.

The view of Jones, who is being subdued on the pavement just in front of the squad car, is obscured from the camera, which is mounted on the car's dash.

At that point, what sounds like "Help!" is heard repeatedly from the pile of men. It becomes progressively fainter with each utterance.

One officer says to another as they try to handcuff Jones, "That ain't gonna work, man."

The response: "We'll get him like this for now," and then, "Why don't we roll him?"

"We don't need another set," one man says, perhaps referring to a second set of handcuffs for the man. "We gotta get 'em back right."

By 6:03 a.m., the fight is over. The officers stand up and put away their nightsticks. Thirty seconds later, one asks that the paramedics be summoned, but the fire truck had already departed.

"He's got a pulse; he's just not breathing," the officer says.

At 6:05 a.m., the fire department paramedics return, and by 6:06 a.m. they appear to be attempting to resuscitate the man with CPR.

At 6:07 a.m., one officer is asked whether his camera is on, and he responds that he had turned off the microphone. Seconds later, the tape goes black.

Jones was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Byrd said. A preliminary coroner's reported indicated Jones had an enlarged heart and cocaine and PCP in his system.

It was not clear what happened to his companion.

The six police officers involved were put on administrative leave, standard procedure in cases in which a suspect dies in custody, Byrd said

[Auset]

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- The man who died after being beaten by police in southwestern Ohio had bruises on his legs but no sign of injuries to his internal organs, according to a coroner's statement Tuesday.

The Hamilton County coroner's office said it hopes to rule on the cause of 41-year-old Nathaniel Jones' death Wednesday.

Jones, who was black and weighed 350 pounds, died in a hospital a short time after being clubbed by Cincinnati police with nightsticks in an effort to subdue him after he lunged at them. Five of the officers on the scene were white and one was black.

The coroner's statement said Jones had linear bruises on his right calf, right thigh, right buttock and right lower back, but "there was no evidence of transmission of force to internal organs."

Jones had "a markedly enlarged heart, consistent with hypertensive heart disease," a coroner's statement said Monday.

Police later found about a third of a gram of powdered cocaine and two cigarettes dipped in PCP, or "angel dust," in Jones' car, the coroner's office said Tuesday. Preliminary tests showed the presence of both in Jones' system.

"Each of these drugs is a central nervous system stimulant and has been associated in some cases with bizarre and violently aggressive behavior," the statement said. The toxicology report will show exactly how much of each substance was in Jones' system.

The coroner's office hopes to release a toxicology report Tuesday.

The case has stirred fears in the Ohio metropolis, where the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in 2001 sparked three nights of rioting.

The police, the FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are gathering information on the incident.

Police have placed the six officers involved on administrative leave, as is standard in cases where a suspect dies in police custody. The Citizen Complaint Authority, created after the 2001 riots, also is looking into the incident.

Police chief defends officers
Meanwhile Tuesday, Cincinnati's police chief said a police cruiser video camera that recorded the incident indicates the officers acted properly.

Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. said, "Officers came under attack. At one point, they're defending themselves. At another point, a transition is made to where they are trying to arrest a person for a felony act of violence. ... Certainly, the standard for use of force in the United States is that the officers can use force to defend themselves and/or to overcome resistance to arrest. (CNN Access: Cincinnati police chief)

"These things take a tremendous toll on the officers," Streicher said, noting the widespread media attention.

The video camera was rolling when police got to the scene, but there was a brief gap in the tape.

Streicher said the camera automatically shuts off when the police cruisers are parked. That's done to avoid the running down the car's battery.

The camera can be turned on by a remote control on an officer's belt, and that's what might have happened as the situation escalated.

"If so, I think it was a very wise decision on the part of the officers," he said.

Police recount incident
The incident began at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, when the manager of a White Castle restaurant called the Cincinnati Fire Department to report that a man was unconscious on the floor.

Police gave this account:

When paramedics arrived, they found Jones and a woman who was with him, who was also in some sort of medical distress. Jones then regained consciousness, began acting strangely and left the restaurant.

At that point, following standard procedure, the fire officials called police.

A police videotape shows a squad car arriving at the restaurant at 5:58 a.m., at which point the recording device was switched off. (Account of video)

During the next few moments, which are not visible on tape, the two officers from the squad car approached Jones in the parking lot of the restaurant.

The tape resumes rolling at 6 a.m. An officer is heard saying to Jones, "You gotta tell me what's going on."

Jones then says, "White boy, redneck," and the tape shows him lunging at the officer and attempting to put him in a headlock.

At that point, the two officers -- both of whom are white -- wrestle Jones to the ground and use their metal nightsticks, appearing to strike him around the shoulders and torso numerous times and yelling repeatedly, "Put your hands behind your back!"

Soon after, four more officers arrive, including one black officer, and an apparent reference to pepper spray is heard on the tape.

The view of Jones, who is being subdued on the pavement in front of the squad car, is obscured from the camera, which is mounted on the dash.

At this point, what sounds like "Help!" is heard coming repeatedly from the pile of men. It becomes progressively fainter with each utterance.

A few minutes later, one officer asks for paramedics.

"He's got a pulse; he's just not breathing," the man says of Jones.

Jones was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

[Auset]

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- Nathaniel Jones died after wrestling with six Cincinnati officers trying to subdue him. The 350-pound man was struck repeatedly with nightsticks in a confrontation captured by police video. The cause of Jones' death is under investigation. The officers who were involved have been placed on administrative leave.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper spoke to Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. early Tuesday about what happens next.

COOPER: Do you have any doubts that these officers acted responsibly?

STREICHER: I think all we can do at this time, Mr. Cooper, is make a preliminary judgment based on what we're seeing on the tape. That being clear, the officers came under attack. At one point, they're defending themselves. At another point, a transition is made to where they're trying to make an arrest of a person for a felony act of violence.

Certainly, the standard for use of force in the United States is that the officers can use force to defend themselves and to overcome resistance to arrest, and that's what it appears is going on, on the tape at this point.

COOPER: We've all probably seen this tape. No doubt you have watched it quite a lot since this event happened. There have been some in the community who have said that there's a gap on the tape. That there is a moment when the tape is on and then it turns off and then it turns back on. They said it's a minute and a half that seems to be missing. Can you explain that -- that missing part of the tape?

STREICHER: It's a valid question they ask. I can tell you about the operation of our mobile video recorders. One is that when the officer turns on his overhead lights, that automatically engages the mobile video recorder inside the car, so that on the tape you see him driving to the scene and arriving at the scene. When the car is turned off, as he parks the car, that automatically turns off the system. That's just something to avoid the battery being run down in the car and us having dead batteries in police cars.

The officers then have a remote control system that is on their belt, so that if they're in contact with a citizen or they're some place where they believe that something should be recorded, they can simply hit a button on their belt that automatically turns on the video recorder and the audio recorder inside the car. It allows us to record that, and that's what appears to have happened here, and if so, I think it was a very wise decision on the part of the officers.

COOPER: I want to play you something that Dr. Calvin Smith, the chapter president of the NAACP in Cincinnati, had to say about this tape. Let's listen.

(TAPE BEGINS)

SMITH: We are not trying to say that this gentleman was innocent. I don't know what the circumstances were, but I have seen the film. And, the kind of beating that I observed would raise questions in anyone's mind.

(TAPE ENDS)

COOPER: Given the history of problems with the African-American community and the Cincinnati Police Department -- I believe you all have reworked your procedures for how you deal with a lot of cases -- do you feel this is going to be a big setback?

STREICHER: I don't think it will be a giant setback. I think what Mr. Smith is saying, and probably a lot of people are saying, is that there are very valid questions. And that's the reason it's incumbent upon the police department to conduct a 360-degree evaluation of this incident. So, that hopefully at end of the day, we can answer each and every question that everybody has, and that's our goal at this point -- to answer all those questions because there are different perspectives from different parts of society, and those concerns are valid concerns and that's the reason we should try to answer those questions.

COOPER: Where does this thing go from here? I know a number of investigations are under way. The officers are on administrative leave, which is a standard procedure. How long does that last?

STREICHER: That lasts for seven days. A combination of the next five work days and their two off days. Whenever we have someone involved in a critical incident, then they'll see the police psychologist. The psychologist will then consult with me and I'll speak to each of the officers. We'll make a determination of when they're ready to come back to duty.

These things take a tremendous toll on the officers. You can see it's gone from something here local to something that's national and, in fact, to our understanding, international in scope. That puts a lot of stress on the officers; puts them under a lot of scrutiny and we need to be concerned about their well-being as well as the well-being of every citizen we have in Cincinnati.

[Auset]

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- New video released Tuesday showed a man who died shortly after a violent confrontation with police dancing and marching around a restaurant and in the parking lot before officers arrived on the scene.

The video, shot from inside and outside the White Castle restaurant, showed Nathaniel Jones greeting a friend inside the restaurant early Sunday morning, and then dancing briefly. He then went into the parking lot, where he continued to dance and march like a soldier.

Later, he fell down and rolled down a hill. Restaurant employees called the fire department at 5:45 a.m. to report his bizarre behavior.

The tape also shows another view of the altercation with police, and Jones is seen lunging at one officer, as he is on the squad car dashboard videotape.

Jones, who weighed 350 pounds, died at a hospital shortly after police beat him with metal nightsticks to subdue him. The Hamilton County Coroner's office said Monday an autopsy showed Jones, 41, had an enlarged heart and had cocaine and PCP, or angel dust, in his system. An official cause of death is expected to be issued Wednesday.

The coroner's office on Tuesday said Jones had bruises on his legs but no sign of injuries to his internal organs.

In a statement, the coroner said Jones had linear bruises on his right calf, right thigh, right buttock and right lower back, but "there was no evidence of transmission of force to internal organs."

Jones had "a markedly enlarged heart, consistent with hypertensive heart disease," a coroner's statement said Monday.

Police later found about a third of a gram of powdered cocaine and two cigarettes dipped in PCP, or "angel dust," in Jones' car, the coroner's office said Tuesday. Preliminary tests showed the presence of both in Jones' system.

"Each of these drugs is a central nervous system stimulant and has been associated in some cases with bizarre and violently aggressive behavior," the statement said. The toxicology report will show exactly how much of each substance was in Jones' system.

The case has stirred fears in the Ohio metropolis, where the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in 2001 sparked three nights of rioting.

The police, the FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are gathering information on the incident.

Police have placed the six officers involved on administrative leave, as is standard in cases where a suspect dies in police custody. The Citizen Complaint Authority, created after the 2001 riots, also is looking into the incident.

Police chief defends officers
Meanwhile Tuesday, Cincinnati's police chief said a police cruiser video camera that recorded the incident indicates the officers acted properly.

Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. said, "Officers came under attack. At one point, they're defending themselves. At another point, a transition is made to where they are trying to arrest a person for a felony act of violence. ... Certainly, the standard for use of force in the United States is that the officers can use force to defend themselves and/or to overcome resistance to arrest. (CNN Access: Cincinnati police chief)

"These things take a tremendous toll on the officers," Streicher said, noting the widespread media attention.

The video camera was rolling when police got to the scene, but there was a brief gap in the tape.

Streicher said the camera automatically shuts off when the police cruisers are parked. That's done to avoid the running down the car's battery.

The camera can be turned on by a remote control on an officer's belt, and that's what might have happened as the situation escalated.

"If so, I think it was a very wise decision on the part of the officers," he said.

Police recount incident
The incident began at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, when the manager of a White Castle restaurant called the Cincinnati Fire Department to report that a man was unconscious on the floor.

Police gave this account:

When paramedics arrived, they found Jones and a woman who was with him, who was also in some sort of medical distress. Jones then regained consciousness, began acting strangely and left the restaurant.

At that point, following standard procedure, the fire officials called police.

A police videotape shows a squad car arriving at the restaurant at 5:58 a.m., at which point the recording device was switched off. (Account of video)

During the next few moments, which are not visible on tape, the two officers from the squad car approached Jones in the parking lot of the restaurant.

The tape resumes rolling at 6 a.m. An officer is heard saying to Jones, "You gotta tell me what's going on."

Jones then says, "White boy, redneck," and the tape shows him lunging at the officer and attempting to put him in a headlock.

At that point, the two officers -- both of whom are white -- wrestle Jones to the ground and use their metal nightsticks, appearing to strike him around the shoulders and torso numerous times and yelling repeatedly, "Put your hands behind your back!"

Soon after, four more officers arrive, including one black officer, and an apparent reference to pepper spray is heard on the tape.

The view of Jones, who is being subdued on the pavement in front of the squad car, is obscured from the camera, which is mounted on the dash.

At this point, what sounds like "Help!" is heard coming repeatedly from the pile of men. It becomes progressively fainter with each utterance.

A few minutes later, one officer asks for paramedics.

"He's got a pulse; he's just not breathing," the man says of Jones.

Jones was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

[Auset]

That's it for now so let's talk about it.

[Tori]

I have been hearing about this and I really think there is some shady business going on! I am aware that if the man was on drugs it is possible to numb the body where he can fight and not feel any pain. I've seen that happen a bunch of times on COPS. I find it hard to believe that with half a dozen officers constraining this man they had to beat him the way they did. Are the officers that poorly trained that six of them couldn't figure a way to contain him without savagely beating him? AND I still think they caused his death I don't care what the coroner says! I don't feel this way because he is a black man either! I'm aware that he was in the wrong also and I could understand a couple of officers not being able to handle him, but half-a-damn-dozen? Get outta here with that!

[KitaWita73]

I agree that the six cops coulda come up with anotha tactic for restrainin' the victim without beatin' him the way that they did.

[slim]

we (as a people and as a country) will do NOTHING about it...It just shows how cops can do anything...I had my jaw wired by the Pittsburgh Police Dept...I kept telling them hit me harder...my lawyer gonna make you work in alaska...so dress warm...and kept hitting me in my face and jaw and back with sticks...they threatened to kill me if I filed a lawsuit...but do I have a harsh heart against police...you fucking right I do...I hate them muthafuckers....with a passion...

2pac said it best...you quick to kill a nigga..but you scared to drop a cop....

was give a warning shot in the air it would've stopped all of that....they WANTED to beat that man...


who wants to become a cop (in this day and age) anyways if there was no crime in black and latino neighborhoods...they would be outta work...okay...so granted they get all the drugs and clean up the hood...what good are they to society...they ain't OF no good use....THEY NEED CRIME....they hide behind that badge...

FUCK THE POLICE...I have a song that will make you hate the police...its full of controversy...and truth...like I always do...speak the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Auset]

I can't stand the police and that is my stand point. For those whom don't know I have a brother whom passed due to police brutality. Now I've been doing my research and I agree with you tori as this shouldn't have anything to do with black/white but let me tell you how it is made to be so.

Last night I was flipping through channels and peeped bill o reily (whom is one man on this earth that I can trully say I can't stand worth shit!) Had came out his face and said his statistic show that there have [glow=red,2,300]only[/glow] been 38 deaths since 1995 stemming from police brutality. For one that has to be a damn lie because there were three in Connecticut around the time brother passed which was 1997 alone so I can imagine. Second he said that is not that bad, so basically he's saying 38 deaths (if that statistic is true) is a figment of our imagination because to qoute him last night before he shut up a black panelist: Blacks and the black community is over reacting to this situation.
So I'm over reacting because I feel that it is too ironic that when something goes down as we watch on cops they may call two police car but every time they have a black man there or anyone of ethnic decent a paddy wagon is called.
Some of you may recall that I have personally testified to witnessing in the past four years that I have been down here in VA three acts of police brutality and two of them happened to my boyfriend. the most recent one when he was double parked he got literally jumped by five officers and had a busted forehead, lip, eye, bruised ribs and a knee fracter. We went to court and don't know the judge was sympathetic to the cop who sat in court and lied saying that he was cursing at him and going off which was the other way around. the cop was the one cursing. But he knew he was wrong because when it came to sentancing he only asked for a day. A damn day! you know you were wrong! But the judge only gave him community service and probation but still the battle was not won.
There is alot of shady stuff going on. And it is too many instances. too many. Don't you know the Cincinatti police department is now separted in black white sections due to this incident? Something is not right. When that man yelled for help they should have stopped. point blank period.

[Tori]

Now most of y'all know I'm going through this right now with my fiance! It's really messed up too b/c everyone knows that they are just charging him with this murder 1 b/c the wanted to get him on something! My dad whom is a Deputy Sheriff even admitted that there was some shady business going on. The cops been messin with us for a minute before all this happened. We would go out and get stopped in his car and the cops would make comments about his car costing more than they make in a year (blah,blah, blah) they would try to search the car and of course my fiance has a CJ degree so he knew much better. That had them pissed they can't stand for anyone to know their rights. All summer we were hetting harrassed. One of his friends got beat by the cops on his way back from a club this summer. They didn't know dude was a pro football player no they have a civil suit to deal with b/c they thought they were just beating up on some drug dealer. The feds moved into our aparment complex and we started getting followed so did our friends and associates. So at the end of August most of the people we hang out with got indicted on King Pin charges. One of my closest girlfriends here actually went to her mans' first court appearance and the Feds came in and got her. She got a King Pin Charge and the same thing ended up happening to several other girls I was close with. They couldn't get my fiance or his brother on anything so around the 1st of september they get charged with 1st degree murder and accessory. I'm sure they are cooking up something for me, it's only a matter of time! Cops are dirty I have no faith in them, including my own father!

[Auset]

Girl I hope he has a good lawyer, see that's what I'm talking about, they are the sheistiest thing on this earth and I can't stand them! It just hurts my heart everytime my people are done wrong by their hand. It's not cool at all. I'm prayin' for you and your hubby girl.