Another man dies in police custody in the USA. An officer also insults the victim during his struggle to survive.
Lewisburg – Once again, a case of police violence caused a stir in the United States. This time in Lewisburg, in the US state of Tennessee in the southwest of the country. Specifically, it is about the 48-year-old, father of five, William Edward Jennette Jr., who died in police custody on May 6, 2020 in the Marshall County Jail.
Initially, the William Jennette case received little attention. It was only after a daughter of the deceased filed a lawsuit against the district, the City of Lewisburg and several law enforcement officers for the “beating, suffocation and consequent death” of William Jennette that matters began to move. An exclusive research by the regional television station Newschannel 5 from Nashville has now brought new details to light. In particular, a video from prison, which shows the last minutes of Jennette’s life, causes outrage. At least since the violent death of the African American George Floyd by the ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, a heated debate – especially racially motivated – police violence has been simmering in the USA anyway.
Police violence in the US: Case in the state of Tennessee causes outrage
The corresponding video, which is available to the news channel Newschannel 5, shows the rigorous actions of the prison guards in the Marshall County Jail in Lewisburg on May 6, 2020, which ultimately led to the death of William Jennette. This was preceded by Jennette’s arrest two days earlier for public drunkenness and causing public nuisance. When arrested, Jennette is said to have resisted the officers. As the local news station’s investigative research revealed, prison records show that Jennette “hallucinated” and “detoxified” while in police custody. In addition, he had to be restrained on a chair for his own protection, as he previously hit his head against the wall of his cell.
The video of that day, May 6, 2020, shows how the situation in the prison in the southwestern United States escalated. Jennette refused to be pinned to a chair by law enforcement officers again. Three prison guards, assisted by other police officers, pounced on the detainee and pushed him to the ground, where they restrained him with his knees behind his back and handcuffed him.
The actions of the officers are strongly reminiscent of that of the now convicted ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case in Minneapolis. This is considered to be the starting signal for a wave of protests against police violence and the “Black Lives Matter” movement in the USA and around the world. The new US President Joe Biden described the verdict against Chauvin as a “step in the right direction”.
Police violence: “You shouldn’t be able to breathe” – man in the USA suffocates in custody
In the further course of the video you can see William Jennette gasping for air, struggling and screaming for help face down and handcuffed on the floor. The lawsuit by Dominique Jennette, the daughter of the victim, is also directed against this brutal police action. “You should have been more aware. They should have been trained properly, but they weren’t, ”said the victim’s daughter. Law professor and former police officer Seth Stoughton also describes the police’s actions as “unacceptable”: “This is the exact opposite of what generally accepted training has taught officers over the past 25 years.”
The video also shows how William Jennette desperately and repeatedly asks the officers to get off his back because he cannot breathe. The frightening answer of one of the officers involved, which can be clearly heard in the video: “You shouldn’t be able to breathe, you stupid bastard”. Translated: “You shouldn’t be able to breathe, you stupid bastard”. Only a few moments later did an officer caution and warn that the detainee might be suffocated. But this was ignored by the officer kneeling on Jennette’s back.
Jennette’s last words are probably resigned to hearing: “I’m good” (“I’m fine”). One officer replied quickly: “No, you ain’t good. You’re going to lay right there for a fucking minute “(No, it’s not good. You will lie here for another minute”). A few moments later, William Jennette was dead. The video could rekindle the debate about police violence in the United States.
Police violence in the US: No charges against officers – “All he wanted was help”
The autopsy report, also published by the US broadcaster Newschannel 5, reveals that the cause of death was “acute combined drug poisoning” with amphetamines. However, as the report reveals, “suffocation” was given as a “contributing cause of death”. The death of William Jennette was thus categorized as “homicide” by the responsible coroners. A classification that can mean both murder and manslaughter in American legal understanding. The autopsy also found several broken ribs.
The William Jennette case eventually landed on the jury panel. However, no charges were brought against the officer involved. The Tennessee county sheriff and attorney declined to comment on the incident or outcome at Newschannel 5’s request. “It just feels like my heart is ripped out of my chest and there is no peace,” said daughter Dominique Jennette.
William Jennette’s family now hopes that other police authorities in the United States will learn from the incident and do something about the recurring police violence. Daughter Calli Jennette said of her father’s death: “All he wanted was help and all he got was hate. That is not right”. (Yannick Little)
