Thread by @nytimes

“I can’t breathe.”

"You gotta take this mask off, dude. Please.”

“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”

We found at least 70 people who died in police custody after saying “I can’t breathe” in the past decade. More than half were black. nyti.ms/2YIRXxa

You’ve likely heard of George Floyd and Eric Garner, but you might not know many of the others who died in custody.

In some cases, officers restrained people by the neck, hogtied them, Tased them, or covered their heads with hoods. nyti.ms/2YIRXxa

Detainees’ words could be heard on audio or video recordings, or were otherwise documented in official witness statements or reports.

—Willie Ray Banks struggled for air as Texas officers restrained and Tased him in 2011. nyti.ms/2YIRXxa

There are others:

—Hector Arreola died in Columbus, Georgia, in 2017 after officers cuffed him on the ground and leaned on his back. "He's fine," an officer said.

—Calvon Reid died in Coconut Creek, Florida, in 2015 after officers fired 10 shots at him with a Taser.

—Vicente Villela died in an Albuquerque jail in 2019 after guards held him down with their knees. He said he couldn't breathe. “Right, because they’re having to hold you down,” a guard said.

—Fermin Vincent Valenzuela was asphyxiated in 2016 after officers in Anaheim, California, put him in a neck hold while arresting him.

—Cristobal Solano was arrested in Tustin, California, in 2018 and died after 7 deputies subdued him in a cell, some with their knees on his back.

Autopsies have repeatedly identified links between the actions of officers and the deaths of detainees who struggled for air.

Only a few officers have faced criminal charges, and almost none have been convicted.

Read more. nyti.ms/2YIRXxa