But he delayed those dreams to helphis mom with the bills and care for his younger brother who suffers from severe autism. Alameda Officer Eric McKinley spoke to Gonzalez for nine minutes before he and two other officers tried to arrest him, with help from a civilian parking employee. OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alameda County Sheriff-Coroners Office finally released the Coroners and autopsy report concerning The autopsy by the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau rules Gonzalez's death a homicide but says the main cause was "toxic effects of methamphetamine.". And like so many others, he hadn't been able to find work since then. "This is a clear-cut case of death at the hands of police officers, and we expect the district attorney will do a criminal investigation, and they should bring criminal charges against the officers," said Julia Sherwin, a civil attorney representing Gonzalez's 5-year-old son. However, the independent autopsy, performed April 27, 2021 by renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, says the primary cause of death was restraint asphyxiation. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? It was not clear Friday if that had taken place. The autopsy also noted that Gonzalez had more than 20 cuts and bruises. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office said in May that it intended to have the autopsy reviewed by outside agencies after its completion. 12:22 PM EDT, Mon April 11, 2022. We are still figuring out how to fill the hole left in our family when they took Mario from us, said his mother, Edith Arenales, in a statement from the familys lawyers. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. Mario Gonzalez autopsy will be reviewed by, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Mario Gonzalez autopsy will be reviewed by outside agencies, After Oakland man dies in custody, Alameda looks at possible changes in policing, Photos: Youth-led march honors Oakland man who died in Alameda police custody, Gonzalez family: Police body-worn camera footage shows what we alreadyknew, Our family needs answers: Relatives call for swift transparency in mans death during arrest by Alameda police. On Tuesday, the six-month anniversary of Gonzalezs death by police, family members and other loved ones gathered with candles for a vigil at the Alameda park where Mario died at age 26. But family members and civil rights activists stressed that he was not suspected of a serious crime and said there was no need to arrest him. Then officers can be seen putting Gonzalezs hands behind his back and pinning him facedown. April 19, 2021. Alison Berry Wilkinson, the attorney for the officers, called the situation "very sad" but said the autopsy clearly shows Gonzalez "died from drug toxicity. The new information being released adds to that pain.. It is shameful that District Attorney Nancy OMalley did not have the courage to bring criminal charges for this homicide. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. L.A. wants to evict families living in luxury hotel since botched 2021 fireworks detonation A man died after being restrained by police in California. He was anxious and was prescribed medications to help. Little Mario will hold the officers who killed his Papi accountable in federal court, and we will fight for reforms so no other family will suffer the way Marios family has suffered from this completely preventable and senseless death., Andrea Cortez, the mother of Mario Gonzalezs child, added: Mario was a peaceful, calm person. Blood tests were positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, according to the autopsy report. The Alameda County district attorneys office told HuffPost that the case is still under investigation and that the office does not comment on pending investigations. The sheriffs office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The autopsy released eight months after the incident found that Mario Gonzalez died due to a heart attack during an April 19 struggle with police. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, High school basketball: Southern California and Northern California Regional results and updated pairings, Opinion: How California came to treat UC Berkeley students noise as a dire environmental threat, Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. Feds drop felony gun case days after defense argued SFPD illegally arrested, searched defendant County officials dispute that characterization. Discovery Company. This, in our view, is an unintended, unexpected death from the use of proper training and accepted techniques in the law enforcement industry.. later that month after an outcry from the family, showed officers approach Mario, alone in a park with bottles of alcohol nearby, after a neighbor called about someone being intoxicated. Police said that Gonzalez then had a "medical emergency. Heres why thats wise, An assault and fatal stabbing in the middle of class at a Santa Rosa high school, With unfounded fraud claims swirling, red California county dumps Dominion voting machines, Man arrested in connection to 7 bombings in Fresno has links to hate group, authorities say. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Please enter valid email address to continue. In the report the district attorneys office cited the National Association of Medical Examiners in saying that homicide is a neutral term and does not in any way affect the District Attorneys Offices determination in the criminal context., The district attorney added in the report that, A homicide can be lawful or unlawful.. Nearly four minutes after he was cuffed, Gonzalez became unresponsive, the report says. His death was ruled a homicide but also linked to health and drug use, Oakland leaders are scrambling to tackle violence and attract police officers. The officers remain on paid administrative leave until all investigations are complete, according to the City of Alameda, which is handling its own independent investigation of the death. Mario Gonzalez died after three officers and a civilian employee pinned him face down on the ground for more than five minutes. That autopsy was commissioned by civil rights law firm Haddad and Sherwin on behalf of Gonzalezs son Mario Gonzalez-Cortez and family members in a civil suit against the city, the officers and the police departments former chief. There were also reports that someone stole liquor bottles from a nearby store. According to the toxicology report released, Gonzalez had .9 milligrams of meth per liter in his system. In statements Wednesday, a Gonzalez lawyer and family member further decried police actions that led to his death. Again, my heart goes out to Mr. Gonzalez and his family.". pizza favorite shuts down after 13 years, plus more closings, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). His family said he was also the main caregiver for his autistic brother, Efrain. Mario Gonzalez Arenales, 26, died last year after an encounter with police officers in Alameda, California. And Mario's 5-year-old son, also named Mario, will hold them accountable in civil court in a federal civil rights lawsuit.". Los Angeles, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. We are struggling with these daily routines while carrying the burden of grief.. He declined to provide them ID, and in body cam footage, three officers were seen struggling to put Gonzalez into handcuffs and one of them had kneeled for at least two minutes on top of Gonzalez's back. "We need justice because we lost someone who was indispensable to our family," Gonzalez's mother told CBS stationKPIX-TVlast week. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do, Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more. All Rights Reserved. Gonzalez was still resisting with his entire body, including his legs, even after being handcuffed, according to the report. Attorneys for the family of Mario Gonzalez, a Latino man who died after an Alameda officer put a knee on his back and neck for more than four minutes, are asking the ALAMEDA The death of an Oakland man who went unconscious while police held him to the ground was determined to be a homicide as a result of the altercation with officers, as well as methamphetamine use,and obesity, according to an autopsy made public this week. The loss of Mr. Gonzalez is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.. SEE ALSO: Andrew Brown Jr. shot 5 times, including in back of head, attorneys say independent Alameda police have made public body cam footage showing officers pinning a man to the ground for more than five minutes during an arrest last week that ended in his death. Hes going unresponsive, one officer says. The independent autopsy, which was requested by the familys attorneys, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, countered the report from the Alameda County coroners office last year, which had called the death a homicide but listed the principal cause as toxic effects of methamphetamine. The report included under other significant conditions the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, as well as obesity and alcoholism.. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Parking enforcement officer Charlie Clemmens, who the city also determined was involved in the death, "is not being scheduled for work," Henry said. After graduating from Coliseum College Preparatory in Oakland, Gonzalez had plannedto go toAlameda College. ", Alameda police officers try to revive Mario Gonzalez of Oakland after police restrained him, prone on the ground. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez. Gonzalez, who complied with officers attempts to converse, appeared disoriented in a video later released. No officers were charged. The other refuses, saying he doesn't want to lose his grip. He kept looking butnever had any luck. 2. An officer says, I forgive you.. appreciated. California man who died in custody was restrained on his stomach for 5 minutes and lost consciousness, police body camera shows. In Alameda County, the sheriff also oversees the coroner's office. Heres what first half of March looks like. Local residents called 911 on Gonzalez after he seemed dazed and intoxicated, but not threatening or violent, in a public park. George Santos Under Scrutiny CBS Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Im concerned that the sheriff-coroner is trying to protect the Alameda police, Haddad said, arguing that methamphetamine was a false cause of death because the amount in Gonzalezs system 907 nanograms per milliliter of blood was far too low to cause someone to suddenly drop dead.. Clearly now the onus is on the DA to prosecute these officers for the homicide.. The encounter happened a day before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in George Floyds death and it came against the backdrop of the police killing of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy in Chicago. No weight no weight.. In April, police in Alameda, California, kneeled on Mario Gonzalezs back for nearly five minutes before he died. Its peer-reviewed. Part of HuffPost Politics. The long-awaited autopsy found morbid obesity and alcoholism were also contributing factors in Gonzalez's April 19 death. An Alameda police press release on the death of Mario Gonzalez. ey. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. Attorneys for his family dispute the cause. During the interaction with law enforcement agents, he was face-down on the ground (prone) with his hands handcuffed behind his back, and at times the officers were applying pressure to his torso and legs with at least some of the weight of their bodies. Published "Itwas the strength and intensity of Mr. Gonzalez's own momentum" that caused the group to fall. At that time, the man had a medical emergency., Another news release said that there was a scuffle as officers attempted to place his hands behind his back., The protection of human life is our primary duty as police officers, interim Police Chief Randy Fenn said last week in announcing a series of investigations into the death. One officer seems to put an elbow on his neck and a knee on his shoulder. 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