Ben Crump: Ohio Cop Told Frank Tyson ‘Shut The F*ck Up’ After Dying, Handcuffed Black Man Said ‘I Can’t Breathe’
Source: Canton Ohio Police bodycam
An Ohio police officer involved in the violent arrest of an unarmed Black man who said “I can’t breathe” before dying added insult to literal injury during the incident that’s being compared to George Floyd’s police murder, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Bodycam footage from an April 18 incident made public by the Canton Police Department shows Frank Tyson, 53, struggling with arresting officers at a bar before he’s seen lying motionless on the floor for minutes until an officer finally checks him for a pulse and even longer before CPR is initiated.
It was at some point during that time period – as long as eight minutes, including when Tyson said “I can’t breathe,” Crump said – that the officer told Tyson to “shut the f*ck up.”
Crump made the stunning disclosure on Wednesday via a press release announcing that he has been retained by Tyson’s family for legal representation as they demand justice for the loss of their loved one.
“Almost four years later, and here we are, yet again. Another senseless and preventable death of a Black man, handcuffed, forced to lie face down on the ground by police,” Crump said in a statement. “As he cried ‘I can’t breathe,’ the police did nothing for reportedly eight minutes, except to tell him, ‘Shut the f*ck up.’ The loss of Frank Tyson is an infuriating tragedy, echoing the haunting cries of George Floyd, whose death should have meant that this one never happened.”
As shown in the bodycam footage, Tyson accurately predicted his own demise at the hands of the police.
“They’re trying to kill me,” Tyson shouted as he struggled while being arrested for an alleged single-car crash that caused a power line to fall. “They’re trying to kill me.”
Tyson, who was accused of abandoning the vehicle after the crash, then shouted, “Call the sheriff.” He repeated that several times before saying again that he “can’t breathe.”
After Tyson is taken to the ground, a voice can be heard telling him, “You’re going to get sprayed,” before another voice is heard saying, “Don’t spray him.”
The officers successfully get handcuffs on Tyson, then one of them appears to put his knee on the top of Tyson’s upper body, while Tyson says, again, “I can’t breathe,” and repeats it multiple times.
“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. You’re on my neck,” Tyson says.
That’s when one of the officers told Tyson to “shut the f*ck up.”
The harrowing bodycam footage is below. It is graphic in nature and should be viewed with discretion.
Body camera footage of Frank Tyson's arrest by police in Canton, Ohio, shows an officer kneeling on Tyson's back despite his continued pleas that he couldn't breathe! The incident is under investigation by the Ohio attorney general's Bureau of Criminal Investigation. pic.twitter.com/uTB9dHE7tM
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 27, 2024
Crump, who has scheduled a press conference with Tyson’s family for Thursday in Canton, vowed to deliver justice for Tyson’s death.
“The death of Frank Tyson deserves more than just an investigation — it demands accountability and justice,” Crump said. “I promise you, just as we did for George Floyd, we will not rest until those responsible are held to account for their actions. We will fight tirelessly to ensure that Frank Tyson’s death sparks the change that this still-broken system so desperately needs.”
Other people expected to be in attendance at Thursday’s press conference include local civil rights and faith leaders like Stark County NAACP President Hector McDaniel, the Greater Stark County Urban League President and CEO Thomas West, and the Rev. Dr. Walter Arrington of Peoples Baptist Church who is also president of the Greater Canton MLK Commission.
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