Watch D’Vontaye Mitchell being dragged out of the Hyatt hotel
An off-duty security guard and a hotel guest force Mitchell to the ground and drag him into the hotel lobby, where he tries to get up but neither punches nor kicks. At one point, another hotel employee hits Mitchell with a broom before a security guard throws several punches.
submitted
According to a criminal complaint, D’Vontaye Mitchell, who was on the ground and outnumbered, was repeatedly beaten with punches and brooms after being forced to his knees during an altercation with four employees of the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, who are now facing trial for his death.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday filed charges against four men they believe were involved in the incident.
Todd Alan Erickson, 60, Brandon LaDaniel Turner, 35, and Herbert T. Williamson, 52, all of Milwaukee, and Devin W. Johnson-Carson, 23, of South Milwaukee, are each charged with first-degree murder.
Mitchell, 43, died on June 30 in a fatal confrontation with downtown hotel security, where he was held for about nine minutes. The incident drew comparisons to George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was detained by Minneapolis police until he died in 2020.
“Finally,” attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Mitchell’s family, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The legal team and the family are relieved that the prosecutor is filing charges. But we can’t be satisfied until we get a conviction.”
“We will continue to fight until we get full justice for this family. And we will continue to be present … to make sure they don’t just get a slap on the wrist.”
Erickson and Turner were employed as security guards at the hotel. Williamson worked at the Hyatt as a bellboy and doorman. Johnson-Carson was a front desk clerk. Warrants were issued for their arrests on Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening, only Erickson was in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail.
More: “They beat him to death”: What happened to D’Vontaye Mitchell at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee comes to light
Mitchell’s death sparked days of protests and demonstrations, during which members of Mitchell’s family and other supporters pressured Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm to file charges against the men involved in the altercation.
A demonstration took place during the Republican National Convention in front of the Hyatt, which served as the main venue for the political event.
The public prosecutor believes the following this afternoon
In their investigation, detectives and prosecutors were assisted by a surveillance video taken inside the hotel that recorded the incident.
According to the indictment, the incident began when Mitchell ran through the lobby of the Hyatt Regency and “in an apparent panicked manner” ran into the gift shop and then into a women’s restroom, where he attempted to lock himself in with two women who were already in the restroom.
Seconds later, a woman is seen coming out of the restroom “apparently in a hurry,” the complaint states.
As she left the bathroom, Turner entered the bathroom, pulled Mitchell out, grabbed him by his shirt, and led him down the hall to the Kilbourn entrance.
The fight between Turner and Mitchell took place in the main lobby, where Turner backed away and struck Mitchell, causing him to fall to the ground, the indictment states.
A hotel guest, identified in the complaint only as SB, jumped to Turner’s aid. Turner and SB accompanied Mitchell and later pulled him through a sliding door.
Another hotel employee, identified in the complaint as TB, is seen on the video hitting Mitchell on the legs with a broom, forcing him to his knees. The complaint says Turner then punched Mitchell about six times. Some of the blows occurred while Mitchell was on the ground, the document says.
Mitchell managed to get back on his feet, and on video it appears he was trying to re-enter the hotel. Then SB, Turner, Johnson-Carson and Williamson surrounded him and blocked his way back, the complaint says.
When Erickson arrived, all four men overpowered Mitchell in the hotel’s driveway, the complaint says.
Prosecutors allege that Turner and Johnson-Carson punched Mitchell while taking him to the ground, and that Erickson attempted to punch Mitchell but instead kicked him in the torso.
More: “They beat him to death”: What happened to D’Vontaye Mitchell at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee comes to light
Mitchell was held down and his back was violently injured
The complaint states that the video shows Mitchell lying on the ground on his left side, holding his right arm up to protect himself from further blows. Erickson and Turner attempt to turn Mitchell onto his stomach, but Mitchell appears to resist.
The video shows Williamson and Johnson-Carter trying to help Erickson and Turner push Mitchell onto his stomach while holding him down.
The document states that Turner, Erickson and Williamson applied varying amounts of force to Mitchell’s back, shoulders and arms while restraining him.
They held Mitchell in this position for about eight to nine minutes until police and emergency services arrived.
Mitchell apparently tried several times to free himself from the defendant’s handcuffs, the indictment states. But at that point, Mitchell showed no movement, no resistance, and no other signs of life.
A detective described Mitchell’s behavior that day in the complaint as “uncontrollable and confusing” and that he offered “sustained physical resistance to the men.” He also noted that in the video, Mitchell “does not incite violence or display any overtly aggressive or threatening behavior while on hotel property.”
For Mitchell’s family, the charges come “36 days too late”
The Milwaukee County Coroner recently determined that Mitchell was under the influence of drugs and died of restraint-induced asphyxia.
After the altercation, a metal tube was found in Mitchell’s left shoe, indicating inhalation of cocaine base, the complaint states. A medical examiner discovered a similar glass tube in Mitchell’s anus, the document states.
More: Milwaukee Mayor: Charges related to D’Vontaye Mitchell’s death ‘difficult to understand’
A copper chore boy was found in Mitchell’s pocket. He had no cash or wallet on him.
Members of Mitchell’s family said that while the outpouring of support from many people in the community has been a comfort, they continue to find it difficult to cope with the loss of their loved one.
“It’s about 36 days too late,” said Rendell Giles, one of Mitchell’s brothers. “There’s a video. This should have happened within 24 hours.”
Still, Nayisha Mitchell said news of the arrests in connection with her brother’s death has given the family some measure of hope.
“This is a step in the right direction,” she said. “We will keep going, keep pushing and keep going until we get what we want. And that is that all of these people are convicted.”
Chisholm issued a statement late Tuesday saying the charges were the result of a “comprehensive review of the evidence collected by the Milwaukee Police Department, the autopsy performed and the report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner, and information received from members of the community.”
The maximum penalty for premeditated murder is 15 years and nine months in prison.
