Newly emerged surveillance video shows at least seven men at a Michigan youth center holding down a black teenager who later died after being restrained for throwing a sandwich in the cafeteria.
The footage released on Tuesday shows the moment 16-year-old Cornelius Fredericks was pushed to the floor and pinned down by staffers at the Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo on April 29.
The teenager went into cardiac arrest as he was being restrained and died in hospital two days later.
His cause of death has been listed as a homicide and three staffers have already been arraigned on involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse charges.
The footage released on Tuesday shows the moment Cornelius Fredericks, 16, was pushed to the floor and pinned down by staffers at the Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo on April 29 just moments after throwing the sandwich
Detroit-area attorney Geoffrey Fieger released the surveillance video as part of a civil lawsuit he has filed against the young center on behalf of the teenager’s family.
Fieger said the boy screamed ‘I can’t breathe’ as he was being restrained in the cafeteria.
The teenager’s cause of death has been listed as a homicide and three staffers have already been arraigned on involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse charges
The video, which has no sound, shows the boy restrained for about 8 minutes.
In the video, several of the men appeared to pull on and hold Fredericks’ arms and legs down while others sat or laid on top of his chest and abdomen.
Toward the end of the video the teen appeared to be limp and fell back to the floor after some staffers attempted to sit him up.
Others could then be seen attempting to give Fredericks CPR.
Fredericks went into cardiac arrest while being restrained. He was hospitalized and died two days later, authorities said.
His death was ruled a homicide and the doctor who performed the autopsy said Fredericks had been restrained on the ground resulting in asphyxia.
Fieger said on Tuesday that Fredericks had previously been restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy.
The video, which has no sound, shows the boy restrained for about 8 minutes. Several of the men appeared to pull on and hold Fredericks’ arms and legs down while others sat or laid on top of his chest and abdomen
Toward the end of the video the teen appeared to be limp and fell back to the floor after some staffers attempted to sit him up
Toward the end of the video, others could then be seen attempting to give Fredericks CPR. He died in hospital two days after the incident
‘It is a horrific videotape and it demonstrates what other employees have told us is a culture of fear and abuse at the Lakeside facility,’ Fieger said.
‘One employee told us that in order to work there all you needed was to be breathing and accept $13 per hour.’
Two male staffers and a female nurse have since been charged in Fredericks’ death. They have since been fired by the company.
Fieger said he is urging authorities to recommending charging others.
‘Far more than two people are involved in suffocating him,’ Fieger said.
Michael Mosley, 47, and Zachary Solis, 28, are accused of restraining Fredericks in a ‘grossly negligent manner’, according to Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting.
Heather McLogan, 48, is accused of gross negligence for allegedly failing to seek medical care for the teen in a timely manner.
Lakeside Academy, a facility for teenagers with behavioral problems, last month lost its contract with the state of Michigan to care for youth in the state´s foster care and juvenile justice systems and its license to operate.
The lawsuit seeks damages allowed under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act. No financial amount was specified.
The teenager went into cardiac arrest as he was being restrained at the youth center and died in hospital two days later