Settlement Awarded To Family Of Akeem Terrell For 2021 Police Custody Death
Source: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office / Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
On Nov. 20, the family of Akeem Terrell received a measure of justice when a federal judge approved a $4 million settlement for the 31-year-old’s 2021 death while in police custody in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the Associated Press.
In their federal civil rights lawsuit, Terrell’s family accused law enforcement of using excessive force during his arrest, which occurred while he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a $4.05 million settlement for the family on Wednesday, a considerable bump from their proposal two months prior. According to the report, the Phoenix City Council had approved an $800,000 settlement related to the involvement of city police officers in Terrell’s death, with an 8-1 vote.
What happened to Terrell?
According to the family’s lawsuit, Terrell was arrested after refusing to leave a New Year’s Day party in 2021, during which he experienced a psychotic episode. According to the suit, “Terrell had a history of mental illness and ‘was expressing paranoid thoughts’” at the time, the Associated Press noted.
Security footage from within a jail cell captured the 31-year-old visibly in distress, exhibiting signs of a mental health crisis. Despite this, up to seven officers were caught restraining him, handcuffing him to the floor, and repeatedly pinning him down for extended periods.
In the alarming video, Terrell could be heard screaming for help. The family alleged that after the ordeal, his lifeless body was left on the floor for six minutes before anyone attempted to administer medical aid. The suit further claimed that police delayed calling for medical assistance for Terrell, who was 6-foot-2 and weighed 433 pounds. Police officers failed to inform detention staff that Terrell was experiencing a mental health crisis, the suit claimed, according to 12News.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Terrell’s family, drew a parallel between the treatment that led to Akeem’s death and the events surrounding George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in 2020.
“Akeem Terrell had a history of mental illness, and instead of compassion and treatment, officers showed him indifference and negligence,” Crump said in a statement emailed to NewsOne. “As he was taken into the station, he said, ‘Y’all trying to kill me,’ and just as we saw in that video, it turns out they would. Just like George Floyd, Akeem was put in a prone position, face down, which has been proven to be dangerous and all-too-often deadly.”
The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner cited prone physical restraint as a contributing factor to Akeem Terrell’s cause of death, alongside cardiac dysrhythmia in the context of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, extreme morbid obesity, acute and chronic psychosis, and physical exertion. However, the manner of death was classified as undetermined.
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‘Just Like George Floyd’: Ben Crump Sues After Black Man Dies In Arizona Police Custody