Death of Kelly Thomas

Death of Kelly Thomas

Kelly Thomas on May 19, 2002[1]
Date	July 5, 2011 (2011-07-05)
Time	8:30 PM PDT (03:30 UTC)
Location	Fullerton, California, United States
Casualties
1 killed

Kelly Thomas (April 5, 1974 – July 10, 2011) was a 37-year-old homeless man suffering from schizophrenia, and living on the streets of Fullerton, California. He was fatally beaten by members of the Fullerton Police Department on July 5, 2011. Thomas was initially taken to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton but transferred to the UC Irvine Medical Center. He was comatose on arrival there and not expected to recover. He never regained consciousness.^[2] Medical records show that bones in his face were broken and he choked on his own blood.^[3] The coroner concluded that compression of the thorax made it impossible for Thomas to breathe normally and deprived his brain of oxygen.^[4] His parents removed him from life support five days later, and he died from his injuries on July 10, 2011.^[5] Officer Manuel Ramos was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter; Corporal Jay Cicinelli was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of excessive force.^[4][6]

Contents 1 Biography 2 The incident 3 The aftermath 3.1 Cause of Death 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Biography

Kelly Thomas was born April 5, 1974 to Ron Thomas, a former Orange County Sheriff's deputy,^[7] and Cathy Thomas.^[8] A diagnosed schizophrenic, he was a "fixture" among Fullerton's homeless population.^[9]

The incident

On July 5, 2011, at about 8:30 PM, officers of the Fullerton Police Department responded to a call of someone vandalizing cars near the Fullerton Transportation Center. While investigating, they encountered the shirtless and disheveled Thomas and attempted to search him. According to statements given by the officers, Thomas was uncooperative and resisted when they attempted to search him, so backup was called. The officers then repeatedly shocked Thomas with Tasers, beat him with the butts of the Tasers and flashlights, and slammed him into the ground.^[10] A video of the event surfaced, and Thomas can be heard repeatedly screaming in pain while officers tasered him (up to five times according to a witness statement) in the video, and screaming "Dad! Dad!".^[11] Six officers were involved in subduing Thomas, who was unarmed and had a history of mental illness. Thomas was initially taken to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton but was transferred immediately to the UC Irvine Medical Center with severe injuries to his head, face, and neck.^[12]

Orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas gave a detailed account of the events during a press conference on September 21, 2011. Using digital audio recording devices carried by the officers, surveillance video from a pole camera at the Fullerton Transportation Center, and other evidence, Rackauckas was able to show that Thomas did comply with orders from Officer Ramos, who had put on latex gloves and asked Thomas "Now see my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up".^[13] Rackauckas went on to describe how Thomas begged for his life, before being beaten to death.^[14]

The aftermath

The story of his beating broke shortly before his death.^[15][16] An investigation into the beating was undertaken by the Orange County district attorney starting on July 7, 2011,^[17] and later the FBI became involved.^[18] The decision to involve the FBI was praised by the American Civil Liberties Union, which claims the Orange County District Attorney has an "abysmal" record when investigating shootings with police involvement.^[17]

Kelly Thomas was removed from life support and died on July 10, 2011, five days after the beating.^[19] Initial reports claimed that Thomas had been very combative with officers and two had suffered broken bones.^[20] Later, the police department confirmed that no officers had suffered any broken bones, and that no one other than Thomas had any significant injuries.^[21] By the end of July, several news outlets had picked up the story and it had become international news.^[22]

On July 18, 2011, a large protest outside the Fullerton Police Department was organized by several people, including the victim's father Ron Thomas.^[23]

On August 2, 2011 many members of the public spoke out about the beating at the biweekly City Council meeting at the Fullerton City Hall.^[24] Over 70 members of the public spoke to the City Council, the vast majority of whom criticized the police. Among the speakers was Ron Thomas, the father of Kelly Thomas, as well as Kelly Thomas's stepmother. The public comment session lasted for approximately three hours. The City Attorney emphasized that the City Council could not respond to the comments, however following the public comment period discussion was given to provide clarification on the city's policy regarding the mentally ill. In addition, Tony Bushala, a local developer and conservative activist, announced plans to recall three members of the City Council thought to have responded insufficiently to the beating.^[25]

On Saturday August 6, 2011, a large street protest was held outside of the Fullerton City Hall. Activists at that protest, which was attended by hundreds of people, called for the release of a surveillance video shot by cameras installed at the bus depot and carried signs with slogans like "Jail All Killer Cops" and "End Police Brutality."^[26]

All six officers involved in the beating were placed on administrative leave and several people, including two members of the Fullerton City Council, have called for the resignation of police Chief Michael Sellers,^[27] who was later placed on medical leave for undisclosed reasons.^[28] Over sixteen thousand people have signed an online petition calling for the firing of all six police officers that were present during the beating.^[29][30]

Fullerton City Councilman Bruce Whitaker later went on television stating his belief that there was a cover-up of the beating of Thomas within the police department and that the six officers involved in the beating falsified their reports on the incident.^[31]

A preliminary hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a trial is scheduled for March 28, 2012.^[32]

Cause of Death

On September 21, 2011, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas held a press conference to announce the results of the investigation. Rackauckas announced that according to the Orange County Coroner, the cause of death was "asphyxia caused by mechanical chest compression with blunt cranial-facial injuries sustained during physical altercation with law enforcement." Rackauckas said Thomas died because of the force of the officers on his chest, which made it impossible for him to breathe. This caused Thomas to become unconscious. He then slipped into a coma and died when taken off life support five days later.

Rackauckas said the Coroner also said the injuries to Thomas' face and his head contributed to his death. Also contributing to his death were brain injuries, facial and rib fractures, and the extensive bruising and abrasions he suffered during the beating, which left him lying in a "growing pool of blood," Rackauckas said. The toxicology report shows that Thomas had no illicit drugs or alcohol in his system. Thomas was severely bleeding and struggled and pleaded, "I can't breathe," "Dad, help me." But the officers did not reduce their level of force during the nearly 10-minute assault, the district attorney said.^[33]

See also

• List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States

References

External links

• Fullerton Stories has a brief write up about Thomas' life
• Friends For Fullerton, a blog with extensive coverage of the events

Persondata
Name	Thomas, Kelly
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 5, 1974
Place of birth
Date of death	July 10, 2011
Place of death