Keenan Anderson, cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder, dies from cardiac arrest after being tased by Los Angeles police - CNN

CNN  — 

A 31-year-old begetter and English teacher died from cardiac apprehension past week aft helium was repeatedly tased by police, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, marking the 3rd officer-involved decease successful the metropolis this year.

Police encountered Keenan Anderson, who is the relative of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, connected January 3 astatine the tract of a postulation collision successful Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood, constabulary said successful a quality release past week.

As constabulary struggled to apprehension Anderson, they tased him repeatedly, edited body-worn camera footage released by constabulary shows. After being arrested, Anderson was brought to a section hospital, wherever helium went into cardiac apprehension and was pronounced dead, according to police.

Cullors said successful an Instagram tribute station that her relative was “killed by LAPD.”

“Keenan deserves to beryllium live close now, his kid deserves to beryllium raised by his father,” Cullors wrote successful the post. “Keenan we volition combat for you and for each of our loved ones impacted by authorities violence. I emotion you.”

Anderson taught tenth-grade English astatine Digital Pioneers Academy successful Washington, DC, according to a connection from the school’s founder, Mashea Ashton. Anderson was visiting household successful Los Angeles implicit wintertime break, Ashton said.

“The details of his decease are arsenic disturbing arsenic they are tragic,” Ashton said successful the statement, adding, “Keenan was a profoundly committed pedagogue and begetter of a six-year-old son. … He was beloved by all.”

“Our assemblage is grieving. But we’re besides angry. Angry that, erstwhile again, a known, loved, and respected subordinate of our assemblage is nary longer with us. Angry that different talented, beauteous achromatic psyche is gone excessively soon,” Ashton said.

Detectives from the constabulary department’s Force Investigation Division responded to the country wherever Anderson was taken into custody and are investigating the usage of force, constabulary said, explaining successful the video that the department’s argumentation defines immoderate decease of a idiosyncratic successful their custody arsenic a “categorical” usage of force.

So acold this year, Los Angeles constabulary are besides investigating the constabulary shooting deaths of Takar Smith, 45, and Oscar Sanchez, 35, and has released footage of those incidents.

Police said they responded to a postulation collision the day of January 3 and saw Anderson “running successful the mediate of the thoroughfare and exhibiting erratic behavior.” On 1 officer’s body-worn camera, released and edited by police, a pistillate astatine the postulation collision tract tells police, “I deliberation that feline up determination needs assistance though, due to the fact that the guy’s trying to tally away.”

Body-worn camera video shows Anderson initially stopped and spoke to an serviceman earlier the video cuts to a substance surface that says Anderson “attempted to tally away.”

When the video resumes, Anderson is seen jogging into the thoroughfare arsenic the serviceman pursues him and stops him successful a engaged intersection, commanding Anderson to laic down connected his stomach.

Anderson does not look to comply immediately, and 2 different officers get and determination him to prevarication prone connected his tummy connected the street, telling Anderson to “relax.” As officers conflict connected apical of him, Anderson tin beryllium heard screaming, “Help, they’re trying to termination me” and “Please, don’t bash this.”

In footage from different responding officer, an serviceman tin beryllium heard repeatedly informing Anderson to halt resisting and crook over, and threatening respective times to tase Anderson.

“They’re trying to George Floyd me,” says Anderson, arsenic officers effort to rotation him onto his stomach.

Then, an serviceman deploys a taser aggregate times connected Anderson, who says, “I’m not resisting.”

Officers yet handcuff and spot ankle hobbles connected Anderson, the video shows.

Later successful the video, the Los Angeles Fire Department places Anderson, who appears conscious, onto a gurney adjacent an ambulance. Police accidental successful the quality merchandise that Anderson was fixed aesculapian attraction astatine the country by occurrence section unit earlier being transported to a section hospital.

“While astatine the hospital, Anderson went into cardiac apprehension and was pronounced deceased,” the merchandise says.

Los Angeles constabulary skipper Kelly Muñiz said successful the video that Anderson died astir four-and-a-half hours aft the usage of force.

A preliminary toxicology-blood surface of Anderson’s humor samples tested affirmative for cocaine and marijuana, constabulary said, adding the Los Angeles County coroner’s bureau is expected to behaviour their ain autarkic toxicology tests.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the videos were published successful effect to calls for their merchandise from families.

“This is not, again, to bash thing different than to show our committedness to afloat transparency and to justice this connected the merits of what the probe shows america and to inquire for the public’s patience arsenic we spell astir this engagement,” helium said astatine a quality league Wednesday.