If the hilarious (Priscilla Owen) right wing fringe 5th says this, you know the crime is real
Fifth Circuit Denies Immunity To Cops Who Beat And Tased An Unresisting Man To Death
After a middle school official reported a man "acting strange" near the school grounds, the "strange" man -- Kendole Joseph -- ran into a nearby convenience store and hid behind the counter.
The two school resource officers were soon joined by twelve(!) Gretna police officers.
Some of these 12 officers severely beat Joseph, ultimately ending his life.
The first officers went over the counter to "secure" Joseph. Somehow this involved multiple tasings and a nearly uninterrupted beating.
The convenience-store manager, who was behind the counter at the time, testified that
Joseph looked scared and immediately “went face down.”
Once on the ground, Joseph covered his face with his hands and assumed the fetal position.
Seconds later, Officers Martin and Leduff followed Joseph over the counter.
Officer Martin, weighing 300 pounds, immediately placed his full weight onto Joseph, who was still lying on the floor with his legs bent toward his chest.
Officer Leduff began holding Joseph’s upper body down.
Apparently, this wasn't enough restraint. More force was deployed on the Joseph.
At that point, approximately thirty seconds after Officer Martin jumped over the counter, he ordered Joseph to put his hands behind his back and deployed his taser for eleven seconds.
As more officers poured into the store, the assault continued.
Officer Dugas handed a baton to Officer Martin, who jabbed it downward, striking Joseph at least twice with the pointed end.
Apparently nothing else was happening in Gretna that afternoon.
A few seconds later, Officers Varisco, Costa, and Rolland entered the store, followed shortly by Officer Faison. Officers Varisco and Faison observed from the front side of the counter, and Officers Costa and Rolland walked behind the counter.
Officer Varisco reached over to offer his taser to the officers behind the counter.
Officer Costa briefly observed from behind the counter, then entered the scrum, holding Joseph’s lower body down.
Yet another officer entered and the Taser was deployed again.
Officer Verrett then entered the store. Two seconds later, Officer Martin deployed his taser again, for three seconds.
The officers attempted to pull Joseph out from behind the counter. The methods used were… questionable.
Officers Martin, Thompson, Dugas, and Costa began attempting to drag Joseph from the narrower area behind the counter to the wider area, on the path to the door.
Officer Costa then kicked Joseph twelve to thirteen times while holding onto the counter.
During this time, Officer Verrett entered the scrum.
Officer Martin then punched Joseph in the head three times.
Officers Martin, Thompson, Dugas, Costa, Faison, and Verrett resumed their efforts to drag Joseph toward the wider area,
while Officer Leduff observed. Once in the wider area,
Officer Martin punched Joseph in the face three times.
Officer Bartlett then jumped over the counter and began holding Joseph down.
Seconds later, Officer Costa punched Joseph in the head six times.
A little over three minutes later, the beaten man was in cuffs and lying prone in the backseat of a cop car, face down.
Medical professionals noted Joseph was unresponsive and performed CPR. Two days later, Joseph died
from injuries suffered at the hands of these officers.
The injuries were extensive.
In total, Joseph endured twenty-six blunt-force injuries to his face, chest, back, extremities, scrotum, and testes.
And it doesn't appear any of them were justified.
Throughout the eight-minute encounter, Joseph was on the ground, experiencing acute psychosis, and continuously yelling.
Officer Bartlett recalled Joseph “yelling random things” and pleading for someone to “call the police.”
Officer Faison and the store manager recalled him pleading for someone to “call the real police.”
Officer Leduff recalled Joseph calling for his mother and “saying all types of things,” including that he was “about to be killed.”
The store manager recalled Joseph calling out for his mother and repeatedly yelling,
“My name is Kendole Joseph,” and “I do not have a weapon.”
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20201121/16372645749/fifth-circuit-denies-immunity-to-cops-who-beat-tased-unresisting-man-to-death.shtml
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