The demise of an unarmed 52-year-old guy who died after an Alabama police officer kneeled on his neck was once dominated a murder through a county coroner, in line with an respectable post-mortem reviewed through The Related Press. The discovering led attorneys representing Phillip Reeder’s circle of relatives on Monday to match his demise to that of George Floyd in 2020.
The file issued through the Jefferson County scientific examiner’s workplace concludes Reeder, of Irondale, Alabama, died final August of center failure “related to cocaine use and reticence right through altercation.”
Officials within the Alabama suburb 10 miles from Birmingham had been dispatched to an area freeway simply after 5 a.m. on August 6, 2024, after one in every of Reeder’s colleagues known as 911 to file a scientific emergency, in line with Reeder’s spouse, Sandra Lee Reeder. Phillip Reeder, who owned a development corporate, was once riding house from a task in Memphis, Tennessee, she stated.
On the time, police stated Reeder was once wandering out and in of visitors once they approached him, in line with AL.com.
Frame digicam video of Reeder’s demise has no longer been launched publicly, however Sandra Lee Reeder and her lawyers stated they reviewed it final week.
“Phillip is heard obviously no longer as soon as, no longer two times, however 3 times ‘I will’t breathe. I will’t breathe. I will’t breathe,'” Sandra Lee Reeder stated at a information convention Monday, CBS associate WIAT-TV reported.
Mike Wukela / AP 
A 2023 state regulation that governs unlock of police recordings says the Alabama Regulation Enforcement Company might select not to divulge the recording if it will have an effect on an lively regulation enforcement investigation.
An electronic mail in search of remark from the Irondale police leader was once despatched Monday morning.
Sandra Lee Reeder stated that the frame digicam photos displays her husband operating from police once they arrived. Police then surprised Reeder with a Taser, positioned him in handcuffs and laid him on his abdomen, she stated. One officer put his knee on Reeder’s neck for over 3 mins, she stated.
“If I stand proper right here and rely to 120 seconds — so much can occur. That is 3 mins,” the circle of relatives’s lawyer Harry Daniels stated, in line with WIAT. “A knee was once at the again of his neck whilst he was once in handcuffs.”
The post-mortem stated Reed had a couple of non-lethal wounds and bruising from the tried arrest through the police. Sandra Lee Reeder stated she may see he was once bleeding from his face within the video.
Reeder was once unresponsive when the officer rolled him over onto his again, in line with the coroner’s file. He was once pronounced useless at an area health facility simply after 6:30 a.m.
Daniels, the lawyer for the Reeder circle of relatives, when compared the fatality to the demise of George Floyd in 2020, which caused months of protests and fashionable scrutiny over police techniques.
“This international was once captivated and surprised about what came about in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2024, the very same factor came about,” Daniels stated at a information convention out of doors Irondale Town Corridor on Monday.
Daniels stated that the one distinction between what came about to Reeder and Floyd is race: Reeder was once White and Floyd was once Black. Reeder could have dedicated misdemeanor disorderly habits through wandering into visitors, however “it isn’t warranted for a knee within the again – this is fatal drive,” he stated.
Reeder’s two sons stated that in addition they reviewed the frame digicam video in their father’s final moments this month after nearly a 12 months of asking the native police division and state company for more info.
“What I’ve long past thru those previous 11 months will have to no longer occur to any 19-year-old,” Zachariah Phillip Reeder stated.
WIAT reported the town of Irondale supplied a observation after the click convention, which reads partially:
The Town of Irondale and the Irondale Police Division don’t trust the characterization of occasions through Ms. Sandra Reeder in regards to the demise of Phillip Reeder.
On 8/6/2024 at roughly 5:10 am, Irondale 911 won a number of calls referring to a white male topic (later recognized as Phillip Reeder) operating out and in of visitors on Freeway 78 close to Previous Leeds Highway. Officials had been dispatched to the world and positioned the topic who seemed to be beneath the affect and behaving inconsistently. Regardless of a couple of instructions to conform, Mr. Reeder persevered operating within the highway and shouting. As Mr. Reeder posed a risk to himself and others, a Taser was once deployed to carry Mr. Reeder to the bottom and help officials with detaining Mr. Reeder. Even after deployment of the Taser, Mr. Reeder persevered to withstand and would no longer observe instructions of the officials. As soon as handcuffed, Mr. Reeder persevered to fight and face up to for just about two mins.
Officials did grasp Mr. Reeder to the bottom the use of their fingers most effective. No knee was once positioned behind his neck, and no over the top drive was once used. Mr. Reeder stopped resisting, and the officials learned that he had stopped respiring. They in an instant became him over, checked for a pulse and started CPR till the paramedics arrived.
