Latest news with #policebrutality
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Julian Cole, paralysed in 2013 Bedford nightclub arrest, dies
A man who was left paralysed and brain-damaged after a scuffle with police and nightclub doormen 12 years ago has died, aged Cole suffered a broken neck and a severe spinal injury after he was "taken to the ground" by police outside a nightclub in Bedford in May Bedfordshire Police officers, who lied about the incident, were sacked in 2018 after being found guilty of Cole, who was aged 19 at the time, had been living in a "minimally conscious state" and died on 7 March 2025, according to his family's lawyers Bindmans. In 2024, his family agreed an out-of-court settlement of £1.2m with the police, in which the force did not accept criminal charges have been brought over Mr Cole's injuries. Mr Cole was studying sport science at the University of Bedfordshire when he went to Elements nightclub with was told to leave, but kept trying to get back in to the club, leading to staff calling the was "taken to the ground" by a bouncer and police, before being cuffed with "his face on ground", a police misconduct hearing was Nicholas Oates, Sanjeev Kalyan and Hannah Ross lifted him from the ground and took him to the police station, where they called an arrived to discover Mr Cole was not breathing, and later discovered a broken vertebra at three officers claimed Mr Cole had been able to walk and get into the police van, but CCTV showed he had to be carried, with his legs dragging on the ground and head hanging down.A High Court judge, while approving the out-of-court settlement, said: "The matter was compounded by a concerted attempt on behalf of the police officers involved to falsify their account of events." The solicitors firm said Mr Cole was born in north-west London in 1993 and was a passionate Arsenal fan. He started his degree at the university in said: "Julian's friends had visited him in hospital the day before he died, and his mother Claudia and brother Claudius were at his bedside."The family have now been notified by the North London Coroner that he has commenced an investigation into the causes of Julian's death." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Donald needed family love - not a baton and Taser
"You could see just by his eyes, that wasn't Donald," said Jason Pye, who watched footage of his great uncle Donald Burgess being sprayed with Pava, hit with a baton and Tasered by police played repeatedly in court."It was shocking. How does a 92-year-old know what a spray or a Taser is?"Mr Burgess, a wheelchair user who had one leg, was reportedly brandishing a cutlery knife when police arrived at his care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex before Tasering Pye said the family could have calmed Mr Burgess if they were contacted by care staff - but the home told the BBC they gave them a full update as soon as they were able to. Care staff waited four hours until contacting Mr Burgess's family about the Pye said the family, who lived 10 minutes away, could have resolved the situation without the police, and should have been called immediately."That one room was his home. No one introduced who they were," he said Mr Burgess may have put down the knife if his family had sat with him for an hour or two. "We could have been talking to him to say 'don't be silly' and he would have recognised our voices," he said."They phoned family members before just for general updates, so I don't understand on this occasion why didn't they think of calling someone on the list to see if someone could go up there." The following video contains distressing scenes. Sussex PCs Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto were found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when jurors returned their unanimous verdicts at Southwark Crown Court on 28th court heard Mr Burgess was acting out of character and threatening to murder the care home had a urinary tract infection (UTI), which can make sufferers jury heard how care home staff tried for more than 30 minutes to get Mr Burgess to put down his knife, before police arrived at about 13:15 Burgess was taken to hospital after his arrest and died 22 days later after contracting Covid-19. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said PC Smith and PC Comotto should face a gross misconduct hearing for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, with PC Comotto facing a further misconduct allegation relating to comments she made on social media after the asked if the officers would deny or admit to the allegations, Sussex Police Federation declined to comment because of the ongoing live misconduct Pye, who described his great uncle as funny and gentle, said his family were now waiting for the hearing, and for the inquest into his great uncle's death to resume."If Donald didn't go into hospital, he may not have caught Covid, and he may not have died when he did," he said. Jodie Anderson, a senior caseworker at the charity Inquest, which is supporting the family, said she hoped the inquest would look at whether the care home's decision to call the police was appropriate."I sincerely hope the care home staff have reflected on how they responded that day, " she said. In a statement, Regal Care Trading said: "We understand the family's concern regarding the timing of the call, and we recognise how important timely communication is in such circumstances. "However, staff must first ensure that the situation is stabilised before contacting family members."It said that while it valued the involvement of families, its primary responsibility was to ensure the welfare and safety of all residents and staff."In crisis situations, our policy is to promptly involve the appropriate professionals who are trained to manage complex and potentially high-risk behaviours," it said."Once the situation is under control, we inform families as soon as possible about any incidents involving their loved ones."
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Family demands answers after 24-year-old killed by Miami-Dade deputy
Grieving relatives of a 24-year-old man shot and killed by a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputy this week are calling for justice and demanding the release of body camera footage and official reports. Kristofer Laboy's family gathered at their Hollywood home to share memories and express outrage over his death, which occurred Tuesday evening in Liberty City during an attempted traffic stop by the department's Robbery Intervention Detail. "There are eyewitnesses we want to come forward. We want justice for Kristofer. He was no damn thug," said his aunt, Maria Laboy. "He was a loving son, brother and nephew. If they think they are going to get away with this, they have another thing coming." "Why did they have to take his life? He was no threat to anyone," she added. Deputy on leave as shooting investigated According to police, deputies attempted to stop a yellow Corvette near Northwest 66th Street and 22nd Avenue for what they described as a window tint violation. Authorities said Laboy fled the stop and eventually ended up at a dead-end street at Northwest 85th Street and 4th Court. There, they said he exited the vehicle while armed and moved toward deputies. That's when Deputy Kelvin Cox, a 23-year veteran of the department, fired his weapon, striking and killing Laboy. Cox is now on administrative leave, which is standard procedure as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates. But Laboy's family disputes the account. "This one officer came out of nowhere and gets on top of the hood of the car and gives no warning and fires," said Laboy's uncle, Anthony Haygood. "I want to see body cam video of this." "We want to see the video and the autopsy report," said Sandra Laboy, another of Kristofer's aunts. Police union defends deputy's actions Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, defended Deputy Cox's actions, saying the deputy was left with no choice. "When you pull out a gun on a police officer, there is only one way for this to end," Stahl said. "He could have left that gun inside the car. He could have put his hand out the window. He chose to get out of the car and pull the gun on officers." "If he had a concealed weapon permit, he had to have had an education where you do not, during a traffic stop, pull a gun out on an officer," he continued. "Our hearts grieve for the family that has suffered a loss, but the situation was dictated by him. The officer had to defend himself and others, and he had to take his life." Loved ones say they'll keep fighting As they mourn, Laboy's family said they are considering legal action and won't stop until they get answers. "He meant my life to me. I am numb. I don't know how to process this. My heart is broken into pieces," said Marisol Laboy, visibly emotional. "We are not going to stop until we get justice. I just want justice for my baby."
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kites Director Walter Thompson-Hernandez on Violence the Poetry in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro
In the favelas of major Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro, it's common to see colorful kites punctuating the skies. The informal settlements, or slums, have become synonymous with their kites and kite festivals, where residents use bamboo and paper to keep the traditional activity alive. That image was a memorable one for filmmaker Walter Thompson-Hernandez, who was struck by the juxtaposition of the innocent activity with the police brutality happening in the same areas. It was enough to inspire him to craft the Tribeca entry Kites, which made its world premiere during the festival. 'I knew there was a story here, a film that speaks to the complexity of how heartbreaking but how beautiful life can be,' he tells MovieMaker. 'On one hand, there's kite flying and how earnest and how pure that is. On the other, there's death and police violence. For me, Kites is a long visual poem that isn't rooted in traditional acts. It's vignettes about three or four different people who live in this community.' Kites took five years to make. Thompson-Hernandez put together $100,000 and convinced a group of friends in Brazil to star. He had another friend do the music, and used a constantly evolving outline to follow the characters in the most natural ways possible. There was no script and plenty of improvisation, and what emerged were themes of life, love and duality. We spoke with Thompson-Hernandez about his unique process for this film, shooting in Brazil, and the importance of representing these characters and real-life favelas internationally. Amber Dowling: Did this process take longer than you potentially anticipated because of how you shot it and put it together? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: It took as long as I think it was supposed to have taken. We took six different trips to Brazil and each time we stayed for five or six days. After the third trip, I thought we were done. But then I would go to edit and find more beats and more discovery. Eventually, I realized there could be a really beautiful component of protection if we saw these guardian angels in heaven. So it just continued to grow in a way that feels beautiful and interesting and provocative. Amber Dowling: The scenes of angels and magical realism tie your vignettes together. Tell me more about threading them into the film. Walter Thompson-Hernandez: They arose from conversations with my friends who had relatives and people they knew who were victims of police violence. It led to these deep, late night conversations about what protection looks like and what safety looks like and what God looks like in spirituality. I came to the conclusion that so many of us believe in protection and have a guardian angel of sorts. Well, what would it look like if our protective angel smoked cigarettes in heaven or got their hair braided by an angel friend? It's just so ridiculous, but also so beautiful and so honest, like the movie. It's imperfect and it's beautiful and it's unpolished, and it just feels like a really honest, longer poem. Amber Dowling: For a film that took half a decade to make, your friends don't seem to age onscreen. Did you use any tricks? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: No, it's funny, because the actors look so great. The children, though, their voices really evolved over five years. Sometimes I'd go back to Brazil and someone's voice was a little deeper. Or their personalities had evolved. We never knew what kind of child we would get. Amber Dowling: What does it mean for you to bring this film out of Brazil? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: I have so much fondness for the work that my friends did. They're all first-time actors, and they're really excited to watch this movie. It just feels really special. This is a story that is both rooted in the specificity of a place, of Rio, of a neighborhood there, but it also has an incredibly universal message. Of hope, of protection, of redemption. It asks this question about our deeds: How are they understood in the eyes of God and the eyes of each other? What does it look like for us to try to do well sometimes and hope for the best? Also Read: Nobu Documentary Director Matt Tyrnauer on Capturing the Beauty of a Food Revolution Amber Dowling: Your main character is a drug dealer but also the funder of a community kite festival. What messages were you going for with that duality? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: This movie is an incredibly existential film. We start the movie right in the middle of what I imagine is this existential crisis. Someone who was a drug dealer but also wants to do well and is kind. He has a mother and a family that he thinks he's doing right by. It's asking deep questions about life and our roles and what we do with our time on earth. Amber Dowling: How did you want to represent the kites themselves in the film? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: Every favela has a kind of annual kite festival that is probably one of the most important days of the year outside of Carnival. I wanted to structure that as the sort of endpoint. It was important to show that these favelas have this beautiful, multi-generational experience in a way that most neighborhoods in the US aren't as connected to each other in terms of generations. There are men and women and boys and girls who fly kites every day and really love kites. That's the most beautiful thing in terms of the importance of people like our main character in an underserved community. Amber Dowling: Why premiere at Tribeca, and what are your next goals for the film? Walter Thompson-Hernandez: It just feels like a city and a festival that is incredibly international. I've always been a fan of Tribeca, and it felt like the right place to have a world premiere. We're still waiting to hear back from a bunch of other festivals, but this was the first. There's already some interest for distribution, and we're hoping to make that happen. I hope people are drawn to the poetry of the movie. It's not a movie that is traditionally made or traditionally structured. If someone is hoping to find a clean and neat three-act structure, they're not going to find that here. It's a long visual poem that is slower in some moments, but there's an interesting moment towards the end where it brings everything together. I'm excited for the conversations that we can have. Main image: Kites, courtesy of Tribeca. Related Headlines Goldfinger: 12 Behind the Scenes Photos of James Bond at His Best 8 Horror Movie Remakes Nobody Really Needed 13 Slasher Movies to Watch for Friday the 13th
The Sun
21 hours ago
- The Sun
Horrifying moment off-duty cop chokes ‘phone thief' to death as desperate bystanders beg him to stop
THIS is the terrifying moment a police officer chokes a suspected phone thief to death as onlookers beg him to stop. The 58-year-old Spanish cop was out for dinner with a friend on Tuesday when the alleged thief stole his phone in northeastern Madrid. 5 5 5 Disturbing footage shows the moment the off-duty cop chased the suspect down the street then slammed him to the ground and held him in a chokehold. In a desperate attempt to stop him from killing the alleged thief, locals are heard calling: "please let him breathe". "You're going to suffocate the guy, man. Let go of his neck," one shouts. Another can be heard saying: "He's not going to run away. Just let him go." Ignoring their pleas, the officer continues to press down on the man's neck before police and paramedics arrived at the scene. But despite medics' attempt at saving him, he was soon pronounced dead after suffering from cardia arrest. Emergency services confirmed in a statement that a 36-year-old man had died of asphyxiation after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation. Officers arrested the unnamed cop who appeared in court today. The devastating incident has sparked outrage in Spain, with some drawing comparisons to the killing of George Floyd in 2020 who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes. Sharing their horror online, one person posted: ''I can't breathe.' These were the words George Floyd uttered minutes before his death when a New York police officer killed him by asphyxiation." Another wrote: "Murdering a person for a simple phone. An off-duty municipal police officer suffocates a person. "This is how the capitalist world is, a telephone is worth more than a person's life. What a disgusting society!" Spain's progressive party Más Madrid also weighed in, calling the assault a reflection of how "institutional racism" and "abuse of power" are normalized. A spokesperson said: "Two police officers, who were apparently under the influence of alcohol, have murdered a person in Torrejón. T "This reflects how institutional racism and abuse of power are normalized, even outside of working hours. "We demand an immediate investigation into this alleged murder due to asphyxiation caused by a police officer in Torrejón." This isn't the first time a case like this has taken place in Madrid. In 2018, protests erupted in the city after a Senegalese vendor was shot dead in the Italian city of Florence. Some 19 protesters and 10 police officers were injured as clashes spread across the city. 5 5
