5 Police Officers Charged After Man Was Paralyzed in Transport Van
The case has drawn comparisons to the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died while being transported in a law enforcement vehicle with no seat belt.
Five Connecticut police officers turned themselves in and were charged with misdemeanors Monday over their alleged treatment of a Black man who became paralyzed while they transported him.
In June, officers transported Randy Cox to a New Haven, Connecticut, police station on weapons-related charges. Footage showed Cox detained in the back of a police van with no seat belt, when all of sudden, the driver slammed the brakes, causing Cox to hit the vehicle wall headfirst and seriously injuring his neck and spine. Cox underwent several spinal surgeries and is paralyzed from the chest down. His lawyer, Jack O’Donnell, said “his surgeon said it is doubtful that he will ever walk again.”
The case has drawn comparisons to the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died while being transported in a law enforcement vehicle with no seat belt.
In video footage, Cox can be seen and heard begging for help and saying he cannot move, only for the officers to mock him and ultimately drag him by his feet.
Officials said the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision. But New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson said the officers’ behavior afterward was unacceptable, noting at a Monday press conference, “You can make mistakes, but you can’t treat people the way Randy Cox was treated.”
Via the NY Times, O’Donnell said “it was abundantly clear’ that the officers” actions were “cruel and inhumane.” The five officers face reckless endangerment and cruelty charges, according to state police, and each was released on $25k bond. The first court appearance is slated for December 8.