INDIANAPOLIS — It’s been nearly three years since Herman Whitfield III died under the weight of Indianapolis law enforcement officers while handcuffed face down, naked and in the throes of a mental health episode.
Monday, the trial of two policemen involved in the deadly encounter begins.
Officers Steven Sanchez and Adam Ahmad will face a jury of their peers in the case that revived discussion about policing and the city’s approach to mental health services.
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What happened in Herman Whitfield III’s death?
The pair were among the five officers and recruit trainee who responded to the home of Whitfield’s parents early April 25, 2022, after being told the 39-year-old was experiencing a “psychosis,” telling dispatchers he was mumbling to himself and walking around the home.
Ten minutes after police arrived, Whitfield was tased and fell to the ground. As he was handcuffed, he told police he couldn’t breathe. By the time medics could get to him, he was unresponsive.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled his death a homicide, determining he died from heart failure while under law enforcement restraint.
Ahmad and Sanchez will now stand trial following their indictment on a handful of charges, including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and battery.
Community calls for changes
Whitfield’s death prompted outcry from community leaders about police use of force and transparency. In a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of his family, attorneys called the officers’ actions that morning unreasonable, excessive and deadly.
Leaders from the organizing group Black Church Coalition called for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to release the complete, unedited version of body camera footage capturing Whitfield’s death, arguing the police department’s version of events released to the public was “selective” and a “biased account.”
His death further renewed demands among Black faith leaders and Mayor Joe Hogsett for the city to send trained clinicians to help people experiencing mental health crises. Similar demands were even made by Indianapolis’ police union president, who issued a statement following the indictments requesting the department to immediately stop sending officers from responding to mental health calls.
Since then, the city has rolled out a program that dispatches licensed mental health clinicians in lieu of law enforcement for certain 911 calls. Previously, Indianapolis utilized specialized teams of trained crisis intervention officers and clinicians, but the program had gaps. The teams only operated on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Whitfield’s death, as advocates pointed out, occurred at 3:20 a.m. when the teams were not on duty.
Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trial begins for Indy officers charged in Herman Whitfield III’s death
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