In Salt Lake City, Utah, US, a 911 caller reported that a man had entered a brewery in his underwear, tried to steal beer, and was running around in the street, endangering both himself and oncoming traffic. The police then tried to detain him, but Nykon Brandon passed away soon after.
Activists questioned why an unarmed person died and accused officers of using excessive force after the Salt Lake City Police Department on Friday released body-camera footage and the 911 tape of the deadly incident on August 14.
“Stealing a beer does not equate to the death penalty,” said Lex Scott, founder of Black Lives Matter-Utah. “I don’t care if this man robbed 10 banks in one day. He didn’t deserve to die. He deserved to make it to court.”
Brandon, 35, passed away at a time when there are still countless instances of police shootings of unarmed persons in the United States, many of whom were going through a mental health crisis. Activists have asked for improvements, arguing that specific mental health crisis teams would be a better response option than armed police, who frequently aggravate situations.
According to Brandon’s Facebook page, he worked for a company that offers plumbing, appliances, and hardware while attending Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Many of the commenters on his page expressed their sorrow and grief at his passing.
The 911 caller said a man had come to Fisher Brewing, attacked a person at the door and was “running around crazy. Very erratic. He just jumped in and out of the road.”
“Definitely mental health issues,” the caller said. “So if you’ve got mental health resources, send them out.”
Instead, bodycam video shows a policeman exiting his patrol vehicle and ordering Brandon to halt. A second cop pulls Brandon to the ground and the two attempt to hold him down after he retaliates, raises a fist, and looks to grab for the officer’s holstered pistol. Brandon is on a gravel bed between the road and the sidewalk, pushing against the officers, and one of the officers is yelling, “Stop.”
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The film from nine body cameras shows no police de-escalation attempts, despite the fact that an executive order signed by Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall two years ago required all Salt Lake City Police Department officers to apply de-escalation techniques before deploying force.
“De-escalation tactics are no longer suggested or preferred — they are mandatory prior to using force to effect an arrest unless it would be unreasonable to do so,” Mendenhall said in announcing the police reforms, which were prompted in part by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.
Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Brent Weisberg said of the Aug. 14 incident: “As the body-worn camera video shows, this is a situation that rapidly unfolded. It was a chaotic situation and our officers were required to make very fast decisions to get a situation under control that was very tense.”
He was taken to the institution after officers concluded he was intoxicated and issued a citation for public intoxication. According to KUTV, the institution is not a detention facility, thus patients are free to leave whenever they like.
This police body camera still image provided by the Salt Lake City Police Department on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, shows police officers trying to subdue Nykon Brandon on the street in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. A caller to 911 in Salt Lake City said the man had come into a brewery in his underwear, tried to steal beer and was running around in the street, posing a danger to himself and to drivers. Police tried to detain the man. Within minutes, Brandon was dead. Photo credits: AP
At 3:22 PM, members of the Salt Lake City Police Department came across Brandon. Except for perhaps a few muddled phrases, he is not seen speaking in the videos as he battles with the officers.
A third officer shows up within a minute. Brandon can be seen on video grabbing his gun and holster.
“We want to help you,” an officer says. “You’ve got to stop fighting with us.”
Brandon pauses moving after a short while. Can you hear me? the cop asks three times while tapping Brandon on the shoulder with his gloved hand. Brandon doesn’t answer.
“Get him in recovery,” an officer commands, and the others roll Brandon onto his side.
“Come on man,” an officer says. All the camera footage released by the police goes dark at that point.
In a news statement, Salt Lake City Police stated that at 3:27 pm, officers started providing emergency treatment. They began giving chest compressions and giving the first of several Narcan dosages a minute later.
“At 4:16 p.m. SLCPD is notified that Mr. Brandon died. The exact time of death is unknown,” the news release said.
The police department announced that a thorough investigation was being carried out by an outside organization and that a separate inquiry would be carried out by the department’s internal affairs branch.
Rae Duckworth, the operational chairwoman for the Black Lives Matter chapters in Utah, is curious as to why the cops’ attempts to assist Brandon are not shown in the footage that has been made public.
(With inputs from agencies)
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