Three charged in death of black teen restrained after throwing sandwich

[Judi Lynn]

Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died two days after he lost consciousness while being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy in Michigan

Associated Press
Thu 25 Jun 2020 08.44 EDTLast modified on Thu 25 Jun 2020 18.10 EDT

Three staff members of a Michigan youth center have been charged in the death of a Black teenager who died while being restrained after throwing a sandwich, Kalamazoo county prosecutor Jeff Getting announced late Wednesday.

Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died 1 May, two days after he lost consciousness while being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy while screaming “I can’t breathe” as staff members put their weight on his chest, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.

The Kalamazoo county Medical Examiner’s office confirmed Fredericks’ manner and cause of death was a homicide.

Michael Mosley of Battle Creek, Zachary Solis of Lansing and Heather McLogan of Kalamazoo are charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/25/michigan-staff-youth-center-charged-death-black-teenager-cornelius-fredericks

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Michigan teen dies after behavioral center staffer ‘placed their weight on his chest for 10 minutes’ despite him saying ‘I can’t breathe’ after he threw a sandwich in the cafeteria

Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died on May 1, two days after a staffer at Lakeside Academy in Michigan put their weight on his chest for nearly 10 minutes

He was a resident at the teen behavioral center and was being punished for throwing a sandwich in the cafeteria

Attorney Jonathan Marko will formally announce a lawsuit in his death Monday

He compared his death to George Floyd’s as they both buckled under the weight of their aggressor and pleaded ‘I can’t breathe’ before falling unconscious

Lawsuit claims Lakeside staff waited 12 minutes before calling 911, even though Fredericks was lying limp and unresponsive

Complaint accuses the facility of two counts of negligence by failing to provide a safe living environment and to properly supervise employees

By MARLENE LENTHANG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 09:55 EDT, 22 June 2020 | UPDATED: 14:34 EDT, 22 June 2020

The family of a 16-year-old African American boy who died after he was wrongfully restrained by a staff member at a teen behavioral center for throwing a sandwich is filing a civil rights lawsuit in his death.

Cornelius Fredericks threw a sandwich in the cafeteria of Lakeside Academy, a Kalamazoo facility for teens with behavioral problems, and was restrained by an employee who placed their weight on his chest for nearly 10 minutes as he pleaded, ‘I can’t breathe’ on April 29.

He was transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo where he was placed on life support and died on May 1.

. . .

https://hiram1555.com/2020/06/23/michigan-teen-dies-after-behavioral-center-staffer-placed-their-weight-on-his-chest-for-10-minutes-despite-him-saying-i-cant-breathe-after-he-threw-a-sandwich-in-the-cafeteria/



Cornelius Fredericks
Rest in Peace

[Igel]

1. Two parallel accounts.

Three staff members of a Michigan youth center have been charged in the death of a Black teenager who died while being restrained after throwing a sandwich, Kalamazoo county prosecutor Jeff Getting announced late Wednesday.

In a video of that incident, a staff member leans on Cornelius while a case manager pushes on that employee’s back, according to the report.

After four minutes, Cornelius stops moving. After about five more minutes, the staff members “release their hold, get up and there is no sign of struggle,” the report said. “The restraint, however, is not ended for 32 minutes, when the remaining staff release his arms and sit him up. Resident A appears unsteady when he stands, and staff escort him by both arms out of camera view.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/cornelius-frederick-lawsuit-lakeside-academy.html