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Prosecutor Clears Arkansas Officers Who Pushed Black Man into the Ground for 6.5 Minutes Before He Died

HeadlineAug 04, 2020

In Conway, Arkansas, prosecutors have cleared several officers of criminal charges over their violent arrest in February of a man who died after he was repeatedly punched in the back, tasered while on the ground, and pinned under an officer’s knee as he protested, “I can’t breathe.” The officer replied, “If you can talk, you can breathe. Chill out.”

Newly released police bodycam footage shows officers pressing 39-year-old Lionel Morris into the floor of a supermarket for six-and-a-half minutes and ignoring his repeated cries for medical help. Morris became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. Police were called when Morris allegedly attempted to shoplift. The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

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