Police accused of ‘disproportionate force’ against man who died in custody over stolen beer

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Police in Utah have been accused of using “disproportionate force” in the death of a 35-year-old man who allegedly tried stealing from a brewery earlier this month, following the release of new video footage.

Video released on Friday by the Salt Lake City Police Department appeared to show officers tackle the man, Nykon Brandon, to the ground before he died in police custody.

That footage has raised questions about the use of force by Salt Lake City police, with Black Lives Matter-Utah founder Lex Scott telling the Associated Press: “Stealing a beer does not equate to the death penalty. I don’t care if this man robbed 10 banks in one day. He didn’t deserve to die. He deserved to make it to court.”

On 14 August, Brandon allegedly walked into Fisher Brewing Company in the city’s downtown wearing only his underwear and was “running around crazy”, a 911 caller told police, adding: “Very erratic. He just jumped in and out of the road”.

The caller, who continued by saying that it was “definitely mental health issues”, also told Salt Lake City police: “So if you’ve got mental health resources, send them out.”

Officers had earlier taken Brandon to a detox facility in Salt Lake City after they received a report of a man acting scared and confused a few hours before the encounter at Fisher Brewing Company, KUTV reported. He released himself from the facility, as permitted.

Brandon, who was unarmed during the fatal encounter with police, could be seen in an officer’s body camera footage with a fist raised and, at different points, appeared to try grabbing a pistol of one of five officers at the scene.

No de-escalation tactics were deployed, the video showed, and Brandon was tackled to the ground and forced onto the gravel face-down, where he became unconscious and could not be resuscitated, police said.

The department added in a press release that officers used chest compressions and administered Narcan, a drug typically used to increase a person’s breathing in cases of an opiod overdose, before Brandon was declared deceased.

While footage of the life-saving attempts was not released out of privacy for Brandon’s family, police said, a member of Black Lives Matter-Utah, Rae Duckworth, questioned the claims. He told reporters: “We don’t even have proof they actually administered aid. We don’t have proof that they actually administered Narcan”.

In a statement on Friday, Salt Lake City Police chief Mike Brown said: “Our police officers come to work every day to protect our community. In the face of great stress, danger, and uncertainty, they are trained to remain professional and show strength and resiliency.”

The police chief added: “We are committed to carefully reviewing the investigative findings in this case. As a forward-thinking department, we will use those findings to evaluate our policies, training, and procedures to continue ensuring we are making our city safer.”

Under an executive order from the Salt Lake City mayor’s office signed by the Salt Lake City Police Department, officers are required to use de-escalation techniques before using force. The measure was introduced in the wake of the police murder of a Black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis in 2020.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press