Milwaukee police are investigating the murder of a Black man in a situation that has drawn resemblance to George Floyd’s 2020 killing after video emerged showing hotel guards forcing the guy to the ground as he pleads for aid.
Dvontaye Mitchell, 43, is shown on camera lying on the ground and crying for help outside the Hyatt Regency hotel, while security agents tie him down with their hands and knees. Mitchell may be heard moaning and yelling “apologies.”
Mitchell’s mother said her son had mental health concerns, and Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer representing Mitchell’s family, said a witness to the June 30 event saw one of the guards “striking him in the head with an object.” The police did not respond to those claims.
Crump told The Washington Post that more witnesses have already come forward and that the security guards must be held accountable. Two witnesses will detail what they observed at the hotel during a news conference on Wednesday, he stated.
Milwaukee police did not immediately reply to inquiries about whether they are currently gathering witness statements.
“Dvontaye pleaded for his life. “It’s just heartbreaking,” Crump added, urging the hotel to reveal the camera evidence and identify the security people involved. “It’s even more egregious that they are treating these private citizens with a cloak of immunity.”
A Hyatt spokesman expressed condolences to Mitchell’s family and the city of Milwaukee. According to a Hyatt spokeswoman, Aimbridge Hospitality, based in Texas, operates and administers the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. Aimbridge’s investigation into Mitchell’s murder is still ongoing, and the employees involved have been suspended, according to a Hyatt representative.
Aimbridge Hospitality’s spokeswoman stated that the company is cooperating with the current law enforcement investigation and continues committed to providing a friendly and safe environment for all hotel guests and workers.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Mitchell’s family and loved ones,” the statement said.
Crump compared Mitchell’s death to Floyd’s and stated that authorities must take measures to prevent people from employing excessive force against defenseless Black people.
“Then they won’t be as prone to treating unarmed Black men with such inhumanity,” said Crump, who represented Floyd’s family in a lawsuit against Minneapolis.
Floyd, who was Black, died there in 2020 after a White police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, sparking a wave of global protests against racial inequity. Derek Chauvin, a cop, was convicted and sentenced to federal prison.
Nobody has been charged in connection with Mitchell’s death. The Milwaukee district attorney’s office confirmed to The Post on Tuesday that the “matter has been referred to our office and is currently pending further investigation.”
“There is currently no timeline for a charging decision,” said an office official.
Police said they were summoned to the Hyatt at about 3:20 p.m. on June 30 due to a disturbance. They received word that the individual began fighting while being led out. When cops arrived, they discovered the victim unresponsive and attempted but failed “lifesaving measures.”
It’s unclear what transpired right before or after the witness films were captured. In one video released by local media, a guard appears to address the person filming, yelling, “This is what happens when you go into the ladies’ room.” Aimbridge Hospitality did not immediately answer a question regarding whether Mitchell used the women’s restroom.
Crump argued even if Mitchell had entered the women’s restroom, it should not have resulted in death. Mitchell, who lived in Milwaukee, has two children: a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old, according to his mother Brenda Giles. Mitchell has suffered with his mental health in recent years, and she believes he was experiencing a mental health episode while at the hotel.
“He lost his father in June 2016. “After his father died, it did something to him,” Giles explained, adding that she had no idea why her son was at the motel.
Giles stated that she is seeking justice for her son and that the hotel should make its tapes public.
“He did not damage anyone. Giles said Mitchell did not cause any harm to anyone.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined on July 1 that Mitchell’s death was a homicide, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel washingtonpost stated.
The medical examiner’s office defines murder as “death at the hands of another’ regardless of intent,” based solely on “the medical evidence present at the time of the investigation,” and this decision does not always imply that someone else is criminally liable for the death. The office did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
