53-year-old Frank Tyson, a recently released black man from prison, met an untimely end at the hands of police officers during an arrest in Canton, Ohio. Tyson had been pinned to the floor and handcuffed by two white officers who had arrested him on suspicion of a traffic violation. Despite attempts to resuscitate him and administer naloxone, a drug used for opioid overdoses, he died at the hospital just over an hour after his arrest.
The state prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident and has relieved the two officers involved of duty. Video footage captured by their body cameras showed Tyson screaming for help and stating that he could not breathe while being pinned down by officers. The parallels between his death and that of George Floyd, who also died in police custody in Minneapolis, have sparked comparisons and renewed attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Tyson had recently crashed his car before being found in a bar by police, who were asked to remove him quickly by the waiter. Despite his criminal history, his treatment at the hands of the police has raised questions about excessive force and the need for reform within law enforcement agencies. The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation, but calls for justice and accountability have been amplified by his final words, “I can’t breathe.”