Alabama man’s death is ruled a homicide after police kneeled on his neck
The death of a 52 -year -old unarmed man who died after an Alabama police officer kneeling herself on the neck was tried of a homicide by a county coroner, according to an official autopsy examined by the Associated Press. The observation led lawyers representing Phillip Reeder on Monday to compare his death to that of George Floyd in 2020.
The report published by the Bureau of the Legalist’s County of Jefferson concludes Reeder, of Irondale, in Alabama, died last August from the heart failure “associated with the consumption and the restraint of cocaine during the altercation”.
Burmingham’s 10 -mile (16 kilometers) suburbs of the Birmingham Alabama were sent to a local highway just after 5 am on August 6, 2024, after one of the colleagues in Reeder called 911 to report a medical emergency, according to Reeder’s wife, Sandra Lee Reeder. Phillip Reeder, who owned a construction company, returned to his own job in Memphis, Tennessee, she said.
At the time, the police said that Reeder was walking in and out of traffic when they approached him, according to Al.com.
Reeder’s death camera video was not published publicly, but Sandra Lee Reeder and her lawyers said he revised her last week. A state law in 2023 which governed the publication of police records indicates that the Alabama Agency Enforcement Agency could choose not to disclose the registration if this would affect an active survey on the application of the laws.
An e-mail asking for comments to the Irondale police chief was sent on Monday morning.
Sandra Lee Reeder said that the images of the body camera show that her husband was fleeing the police upon arrival. The police then shocked Reeder with a taser, placed it handcuffed and put it on the stomach, she said. An officer put his knee on Reeder’s neck for more than three minutes, she said.
Sandra Lee Reeder said her husband could be heard “I can’t breathe” three times.
The autopsy said that Reed had undergone several non -thin injuries and bruises of the police attempt by the police. Sandra Lee Reeder said that she could see that he was bleeding from her face in the video.
Reeder did not respond when the officer rolled him on the back, according to the Coroner’s report. He was declared dead in a local hospital just after 6:30 am
Harry Daniels, lawyer for the Reeder family, compared the death to the death of George Floyd in 2020, which caused months of protests and an in -depth examination on police tactics.
“This world was captivated and shocked by what happened in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2024, the same thing happened,” said Daniels at a press conference outside the town hall of Irondale on Monday.
Daniels said the only difference between what happened to Reeder and Floyd is the race: Reeder was white and Floyd was black. Reeder may have committed a disorderly driving offense wandering in traffic, but “it is not justified for a knee in the back-it is a deadly force,” he said.
Reeder’s two sons said they also examined the video camera of their father’s last moments this month after almost a year asking the local police service and the more information state agency.
“What I have gone through in the past 11 months should not happen to a 19 -year -old,” said Zachariah Phillip Reeder.
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Riddle reported in Montgomery, Alabama. She is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for the America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national services program that places journalists from local editorial rooms to account for undercurrent issues.
