On Tuesday, prosecutors charged four Milwaukee hotel employees with involvement in premeditated murder in connection with the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell.
According to a criminal complaint, the four employees dragged Mitchell out of the Hyatt hotel on June 30 after Mitchell entered a woman’s restroom and held him on his stomach for eight or nine minutes. Four people can be seen on cell phone video Footage captures Mitchell on the driveway of the hotel. In the video, they can be heard telling Mitchell to “stay down” and “stop fighting.”
One of the employees told investigators that Mitchell was having trouble breathing and repeatedly begged for help, the complaint states. Witness Shawn Moore told CBS News he heard screams coming from the hotel as he walked to a nearby Walgreens store to pick up some things for his son.
The county medical examiner ultimately concluded that Mitchell died of “asphyxia from restraint and the toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine.” He may have survived if employees had allowed him to turn onto his side, the medical examiner said, according to the lawsuit. An autopsy also found that Mitchell suffered from morbid obesity, the lawsuit said.
Relatives of Mitchell and her lawyers had previously reviewed hotel surveillance video provided to them by prosecutors. They described seeing Mitchell being chased into the hotel by security guards and then dragged outside and beaten.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, part of a team of lawyers representing Mitchell’s family, said, Video A video taken by a bystander and shared on social media shows security guards pressing their knees on Mitchell’s back and neck. He had previously said the video shows security guards used excessive force to subdue Mitchell. Crump had also questioned why Milwaukee authorities had not yet filed charges in connection with Mitchell’s death.
“Today marks a significant step toward justice for the family of D’Vontaye Mitchell,” Crump said in a statement Tuesday night. “The evidence, including surveillance footage and witness testimony, paints a disturbing picture of a man in distress who was met with excessive and deadly force. The fact that D’Vontaye was held facedown on the pavement for eight to nine minutes – just like George Floyd – is a sobering reminder of the urgent need for accountability and justice.”
Aimbridge Hospitality, the company that operates the hotel, had previously stated that several employees involved in Mitchell’s death had been fired.
“Our condolences go out to Mr. Mitchell’s family and loved ones as this case moves forward,” an Aimbridge Hospitality spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News Tuesday evening. “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement in the investigation of this tragic incident and will continue to work with the District Attorney.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information from the coroner and the criminal complaint.
