DC Man’s Death In Police Custody Ruled A Homicide

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the video “does not answer every question” about the incident, but added that the responding MPD officers followed protocol in immediately calling an ambulance to the building and in applying “additional restraints” to Smith because the special police had indicated he was high on PCP.

Smith was reportedly unconscious and not breathing when D.C. police arrived. Two members of the Seventh District, who were each wearing body worn cameras, head up a stairwell and find Smith handcuffed and unconscious when they arrived just after 4 a.m. on November 1.

“Come on man!… Come on buddy!…”

Under the D.C. law, the video in Smith’s case would have been exempt from FOIA because the USA attorney’s office is investigating, but the mayor has the power to release footage that is deemed of significant public interest.

The medical examiner has ruled that the cause of Smith’s death was a heart attack complicated by “acute cocaine toxicity” and compression of his torso. In the video, Smith is shirtless and lying on the ground.

But one thing they could all agree on was that the body worn cameras only provided a snapshot of what happened, since the footage only begins after the MPD officers arrives.

The new law provides for many police videos to be made public but also has exceptions that include those taken inside private residences and others that become part of ongoing criminal investigations and comes as cities nationwide consider using body cameras to record the interactions between law enforcement and citizens.

Warning: This video contains graphic footage.

City officials said they plan to release video from a second police officer’s body camera, but they noted that the footage largely shows the same angle on the scene, Lanier said.

Smith’s mother, Beverly Smith, previously said she viewed her son’s body at the medical examiner’s office, and he had a broken neck, swollen jaw and bruises on his chest. After about seven minutes, one says, “We got no pulse”.

Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May, who attended a rally for Smith this past Sunday, said she wanted to again express her sympathy for his family and friends. The officer shouted to make sure paramedics brought up oxygen.