Seven Virginia sheriff’s deputies are now facing murder charges after authorities say they fatally smothered a physically restrained man in their custody during the intake process at a local hospital. NBC News reports that 28-year-old Irvo Otieno “died of asphyxia due to being smothered to death, thanks to having at least seven people … on top of him and holding him down” on the afternoon of March 6 at Central State Hospital, said Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill in a Wednesday court hearing. Per a statement from Henrico County Police Division, Otieno’s engagement with officers began on March 3, when deputies responded to a call that morning about a possible burglary taking place at a private residence.
When they arrived, they said they encountered Otieno, who is Black. “Based on their interaction with and observation of Otieno, HCPD officers placed him under an emergency custody order,” the statement says, which NBC notes is the type of order used in cases involving mental illness. He was taken to the hospital, where he became “physically assaultive” toward police, who then brought him to jail (Otieno’s family denies the assault part, per the New York Times). Family attorney Mark Krudys tells the paper that Otieno’s mother tried to bring him medication for his mental illness while he was in jail but was rebuffed, with jail officials telling her that Otieno would see a doctor in a few days’ time. “The more time that passes without you getting your meds, the more distressed you become,” Krudys says.
Was it a “mostly peaceful” burglary attempt that the deputies were responding to that morning ?
There is too little info in this short article to even address the murder charges but what caught my attention was the neglect exhibited by both the hospital and the county jail. They will be paying big bucks to the family of the deceased.
If you go to the police statement you will see there was an incident the previous day where they didn’t do anything about his violent behavior because a “family member” talked them out of it. To bad the “family member” didn’t do anything to help him after that encounter.
“They will be paying big bucks to the family of the deceased.”
No – they won’t.
The taxpayers will take it up the ass.
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
Jethro
MARCH 16, 2023 AT 5:27 PM
“If you go to the police statement you will see there was an incident the previous day where they didn’t do anything about his violent behavior because a “family member” talked them out of it. To bad the “family member” didn’t do anything to help him after that encounter.”
…do WHAT?
The “Mental health” system is worse than useless.
Not only are they unlikely to do anything to actually help, they will probably VALIDATE and ENCOURAGE the aberrant behavior and tell the fam that THEY’RE the bad guys.
After charging beaucoup bucks and prescribing more poison like he’s already taking. And the family has most likey been down that same corduroy road many other times before today, and knows it.
The BEST you can hope for is a 72 hour hold.
More likely, he’ll lucid up long enough to answer the three questions (that he probably knows by heart now anyway), and they will spring him quicker than the family and cops can turn around, unless there’s a buck to be made, and they don’t seem real rich.
Believe me, I wish I didn’t know what I’m talking about, but I do.
On one level, I’ve had to deal not very long ago with suicidal family. The shrinks, the pyschologists, the PAs, the NPAs under the psychiatric rubric…FUCKING USELESS.
But that’s all I’ll say about that.
Going back a bit, I used to spend a fair amount of Squad time schlepping red-tagged mentals to the general hospital downtown because the Catholic hospitals don’t want ’em, and even back in the day that was an exercise in futility. This wasn’t super long after Jack Nicholson scared everyone with a grossly exaggerated take on mental hospitals, and deinstitutionalization had a good head of steam up so there was no putting someone in a Headcase Hilton, a group home after a 72 hour hold was the best you could expect, and the group homes were just barely trained people trying to mooch Government stipends, so they caused more problems than they solved.
…I’m trying not to get WAY in the weeds here, so I’ll dial it back a bit. Cops were still expected at the time to “do something” about the violently mentally ill, and that “something” was usually to issue a red tag and have me and my boyz drag ’em down to General in restraints. General would have us put ’em in a room with no sheets so they couldn’t hang themselves, and then send some low-ranking resident brainpeeper to ask the Three Questions that are supposed to mean they’re sane, but really just an excuse to spring ’em because (as I’ve indicated) frequent cryers usually had them memorized by then anyway, and so got sprung, typically before I was done filling out the paperwork in the squad lounge. One time a guy actually asked us for a ride back, which we diplomatically told him we could not do, w/o saying not without you being tied to a cot, buddy. We had quite a bit of repeat business from these, they never seemed to get better and they were one reason I wasn’t too unhappy to give the squad up, because I was getting pretty damn burnt on their pointless shit and patching up their family/victims as well.
And I can guarantee you things are QUITE a bit worse NOW.
At least we weren’t required to AFFIRM their insanity then.
…then, as now, I failed to see the point in the whole stupid exercise. I’m sure it made a ton of money for someone, but it never solved any problems that I saw.
Althogh that is ONE place things are different now.
Now, they give them incredibly expensive poisons that make things 10 times WORSE if they stop taking them.
As Irvo Otieno could tell you if he wasn’t entirely dead.
And just a note on restraing violent nutbags.
Yes, that is NOT a pretty process.
And yes, I HAVE sat on them to get them restrained before. in a two-man unit, you do what you gotta do, especially if one of those men is a petite woman, and the cop has his hands full with the fam.
But only long enough to get restraints on them, in the form of sometimes wide leather cuffs, sometimes just a folded and tied triangular bandage.
I never needed seven guys, or more than a couple minutes, and I was well under 200 lbs then, and wasn’t trained as a LEO. And believe me, nuts who don’t care if they hurt themselves are SUPER strong, so it’s all about WHERE you sit.
Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
…all I’m saying is that it’s not going to be hard to demonstrate that the response was a tad overpowered and probably not entirely necessary. Add in the fact that medication that the abrupt withdrawal of is KNOWN to make people psychotic, and I’m pretty sure I know some taxpayers that are going to be as unhappy as the family’s lawyer is going to be rich.
SNS,, I see “mental” people on the streets
every day….
We, the people, have lost control of OUR country.
I can envision only ONE way to possibly retake control.
If he was wearing that same shirt I can see why.
He was jus turnin his lif round
The mentally ill are in high offices in the Xiden government now and in positions that are suppose to address mental health. They are too far gone in their own psychosis to care about the welfare of mentally ill citizens/constituents.
So, it’s up to law enforcement to attempt dealing with the mentally ill. They are not equipped. Training probably involves mostly how to subdue and maintain control, usually by force for combative mentally ill. Not many law enforcement agencies have Mental Health divisions.
In this case, it was obviously excessive force by a group of deputies who look like they are interchangeable with the perps they arrest. The mental institution’s staff were no better.
Sure, this guy was probably acting out to the max, but someone should have assessed, too many people on top of the guy could potentially crush him to death. Common sense is so rare.
Otieno’s family originally from Kenya (I think), had many more years with him because he was treated in The United States. More than likely not the case if they had stayed in their country of origin. Most African nations have barbaric or neglecting methods of “treating” the mentally ill.
Sadly, his mental condition was no longer manageable as outpatient care. There are no more decent mental health long term facilities that exist in this country. They are desperately needed.