Demands for justice for Herman Whitfield III rang out on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. About 80 people attended a protest on Monument Circle Monday, despite the rainy weather.
Whitfield, 39, was an accomplished pianist. He lived with his father and mother, who were present when he died at home on April 25, killed by Indianapolis police officers during a response to a mental health crisis call.
Since then, community members and faith leaders have demanded action. Monday’s demonstration came shortly after a lawyer who represents the Whitfield family in a federal lawsuit released the entire unedited body camera footage from the incident. IMPD previously released an edited, narrated version, which advocates said didn’t show the whole story.
Justice for Herman Whitfield III organizer Dea Lott led protesters as they chanted and marched around Monument Circle four times in honor of Whitfield’s nearly 40 years of life. She was friends with Whitfield, and wants the community to share the released body cam footage across social media platforms. Lott also wants IMPD to fire the six officers involved.
“Don’t wait for the criminal case to finish, don’t wait to see what the grand jury is going to do,” Lott said. “You all know these procedures were violated. Do it now. Take them off the street now.”
The body camera footage shows officers tased Whitfield twice and then held him face down, handcuffed in the prone position. He can be heard yelling, “I can’t breathe,” and then falls silent. Whitfield was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The in-custody death has been ruled a homicide. The Marion County coroner listed Whitfield’s cause of death as “cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of law enforcement subdual, prone restraint, and conducted electrical weapon use.”
In a statement released after that ruling, Whitfield’s family said: "For over twenty-five years, the policing community has agreed that officers should not keep a restrained individual in the prone position because of the significant risk of death.”
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the case to determine if criminal charges will be filed. Once the criminal investigation is complete, the civilian majority Use of Force Review Boardwill examine it.
After the release of the full body camera video, IMPD said an internal investigation is being conducted. It will wait for the results of any criminal proceedings and Use of Force Board recommendations to determine the fate of the officers.
The six officers involved in the incident are still working, but on administrative duty instead of patrols.
Another protest is scheduled for April 22 to honor Whitfield’s death.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story referred to the six IMPD officers being involved in a “shooting”. That word has been removed.
Reporter Elizabeth Gabriel contributed to this story.
Contact WFYI criminal justice reporter Katrina Pross at kpross@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @katrina_pross. Pross is a Corps Member of Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project.
Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @JillASheridan.
