Four former hotel workers were charged Tuesday with felony murder in connection with the June death of a Black man who authorities say was pinned to the ground outside a downtown Milwaukee hotel in an encounter caught on video.
Security manager Todd Erickson, front desk agent Devin Johnson-Carson, security guard Brandon Turner, and bellman Herbert Williamson were all charged.
On June 30th at the Hyatt Hotel, D’Vontaye Mitchell was forcibly removed from a women’s bathroom and restrained face down for eight to nine minutes by four employees after he entered the building in a distressed state and attempted to hide.
According to the criminal complaint, Mitchell repeatedly pleaded for help and indicated he was having trouble breathing during the incident.
Surveillance footage revealed that Turner, who was off-duty but visiting the hotel, initiated the confrontation by dragging Mitchell out of the bathroom and repeatedly punching him. The struggle continued as Erickson, Johnson-Carson, and Williamson joined Turner, ultimately holding Mitchell down until police and emergency responders arrived.
Mitchell’s mother has said she believes he was suffering from a mental health episode, and a family statement blamed excessive force for his death.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to up to 15 years and nine months in prison.
The autopsy report noted that Mitchell, who was obese and had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system, died of “restraint asphyxia” The medical examiner suggested that Mitchell might have survived if the employees had allowed him to turn onto his side.
