mother of Irvo OtienoBlack man believed to have been killed by seven deputies at a Virginia-run mental hospital, says “traumatic” video shows him being “tortured” like an animal… more than a dog.”
“My son was treated like a dog, worse than a dog,” Caroline Ouko said on Thursday after watching the “heartbreaking”, “disturbing” and “traumatic” footage of the the death of her son, 28, on March 6.
“My son was tortured. I saw torture,” said the victim’s mother
She continued: “My son was tortured. I witnessed torture,” she said of “seven officers on one man,” said to have one knee on top of her son’s neck, eerily similar to the one. death of George Floyd, New York Post Office report.
“He was treated inhumanely. It was traumatic – and it was systematic,” she said, saying the abuse “was on and it continued until he took his last breath.”
Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, of Henrico; Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, of Sandston; Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45 years old, of Henrico; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43 years old, Henrico; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, of Henrico; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48 years old, Henrico; and Kaiyell👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/be6xba0BaA
— ️DarkAveryMariah⚜️🤎 (@DarkAveryMariah) March 15, 2023
She went on to say, “He was murdered! They suffocated my baby’s breath. They killed my baby,” she said, fighting back tears as she said, “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
No one stood up to help him: ‘There was a chance to rescue him’
She also spoke of the pain she suffered when “no one stepped forward to help” her son, who voluntarily went to the local hospital for help before being taken to jail and ultimately detained until the end of his life. died at Central State Hospital, a mental health facility in Petersburg.
“Mental illness is not your ticket to death. There is a chance to rescue him,” she said. “We have to do better.”
RELATED: Seven Virginia deputies charged with murder in black man’s death at state-run mental hospital
Meanwhile, Otieno’s brother, Leon Ochieng, said he was returning home to Virginia over the weekend when it turned into a “tragic, senseless and inhumane nightmare”.
“Words cannot describe what I just saw today,” he said of the footage of his brother’s death that left his family “broken”.
“What I saw was a lifeless human being, without any representation. Not interested in his human life, he said.
Things to know about Irvo Otieno, whose death in a mental health facility prompted 10 murder charges https://t.co/nXeVqv21rg pic.twitter.com/hFRmMGX025
– Forbes (@Forbes) March 17, 2023
He continued: “I witnessed a murder. I didn’t think in my life I would see my real brother murdered,” he said, having to stop to hug his mother after being overwhelmed.
Seven deputies charged with second-degree murder in Otieno .’s death
Seven deputies have been charged with second-degree murder. They are Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30 years old.
Prominent civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, said the video shows Otieno being crushed for about 11 to 12 minutes before dying of suffocation.
