Irvo Otieno was a 28-year-old black man who died last month, on March 6 2023, at Virginia Mental Hospital due to asphyxiation caused by 7 police officers.
What happened to Irvo Otieno?
According to reports, on March 6, Irvo Otieno died during an intake process while being transferred from Henrico County Jail to a hospital for his medical treatment.
He was admitted to Dinwiddie County’s Central State Hospital, where he later passed away after being pinned to the ground. Video footage was captured by nearby cameras, showing sheriff deputies and hospital employees restraining a handcuffed Otieno for 20 minutes.
For the whole 20 minutes, Irvo Otieno was pinned to the ground with multiple officers on top of him. The group of officers was so large that, at times, Irvo could not even be seen by the cameras.
Then after some time, when the officers realized that his body was limp and lifeless, they tried to revive him, trying resuscitation efforts, but it was already too late.
Otieno was detained on March 3 at Parham’s Medical Center after what is said to have been an incident involving Henrico County cops. The police suspected he was involved in a burglary, so he was arrested.
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7 deputies, along with hospital workers charged with the murder of Irvo Otieno
Many of the public feel this to be the parallel of the George Floyd killing, where the man also died to an officer that pinned him to the ground, because of which he could not breathe.
Seven deputies and 3 hospital workers have now been charged for the second-degree murder of Irvo Otieno. According to the prosecutor who filed the charges, Otieno was smothered to death.
The medical examination office was only permitted to release the cause and manner of death.
The family and the attorneys also revealed that Irvo Otieno suffered from mental illness.
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Funeral held for Irvo Otieno, calling for reform
The family, friends and other supporters and mourners gathered on Wednesday to remember Irvo Otieno at a funeral service held at Virginia Church.
The funeral service was held to celebrate his life and call for mental health care and policing reforms after the incident shook the community.
Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy and stated that he had an illness and should have been taken care of and not treated with brutality.
During the First Baptist Church of South Richmond ceremony, others remembered him as a sympathetic, enthusiastic, well-respected friend and musician. Everyone pledged to pursue justice for his murder as well.
