Authorities are sad to report that a 54-year-old citizen, identified as Sheldon Ennis, passed away at around 10:05 P.M. on June 26 during a police interaction. According to reports, officers in charge of patrolling the park near Riverside Drive were doing their job on the night of the incident when they found Ennis drinking a beer from a paper bag.
Officers attempted to approach the suspect and ask for his ID, but Ennis told the police that he lived across the street and didn’t have any identification on him. Ennis told the police that he would be happy to go get his ID or call a friend to bring him his ID, but the authorities said they would instead bring him to the station to verify his identity.
That’s when the interaction took a turn for the worse. Ennis had already spent 25 years in prison after being implicated in a violent drug ring back in the 1990s. Since serving his time, Ennis has reportedly got his life together and was working a shift just before being approached by the police. As you’d expect, Ennis was terrified about the potential of going back to jail, so he tried to run away.
One of the officers tackled Ennis to the ground and landed heavily on his chest. Ennis hit his head and was bleeding profusely when he told authorities that he couldn’t breathe. Ennis tragically passed away as a result of cardiac arrest at the scene.
After reviewing the body cam footage, authorities determined that the officers followed procedures and did not act overly aggressively. Neither officer involved in the takedown has been disciplined or removed from their patrol units.
Journalists looking into the situation discovered that the officer who tackled Ennis was new to the force, but his partner, who was also at the scene, had already been investigated twice for abuse of authority and once for using physical force against a woman during his career.
Abuse of Authority and Excessive Force
According to the Eighth Amendment, accused suspects have a right to be free from excessive or inappropriate force. When it comes to a police interaction, authorities do have the right to use force, but it must be equal and comparable to the amount of force objectively reasonable to control a situation. If a suspect is utilizing or threatening to use deadly force, then an equal police response is warranted. If a suspect isn’t acting threateningly, however, then the police should not be using deadly or excessive force to control the situation.
If you believe your rights have been violated during an arrest, then it’s critical to get in touch with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. An attorney can help you unpack what happened and determine whether you have any legal recourse. The right lawyer will also help you figure out the best way to defend yourself against any pending charges.
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