This article was first published by Mirror Indy under the headline “Indianapolis police officers’ trial set for death of Herman Whitfield III” on November 4, 2024.
Indianapolis police officers’ trial set for death of Herman Whitfield III
Parents of the slain man “hope justice prevails” as a judge declines to dismiss charges against the officers.
The parents of Herman Whitfield III stood outside a closed-door courtroom Monday, waiting for a judge to decide whether or not the case against the two Indianapolis police officers charged in the death of their son would be dismissed or proceed to trial.
“I just hope justice prevails in this situation,” said Herman Whitfield Jr., the father of Whitfield III. “These officers are citizens before they’re officers, so they should be held accountable by the laws and standards of this nation just as we do as citizens.”
Gladys Whitfield, who is Whitfield III’s mother, believes the officers acted wrongly.
“There’s no question about that in my mind,” she said.
Attorneys for the two officers had filed a last-ditch effort to toss the case. After an hour-long hearing, attorneys came outside the courtroom to deliver welcome news to the Whitfields: Marion County Superior Court Judge Charles Miller ruled against the motion to dismiss the charges against the officers, setting a December 2 trial date.
The father and mother were joined outside the courtroom Monday by friends, family, and community members seeking justice for Whitfield III, a 39-year-old Black man who died after being restrained by police in his family’s Indianapolis home.
It’s been two and a half years since Whitfield’s death rocked the Indianapolis community, leading to calls for criminal justice reforms and forcing the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to reexamine how it responds to mental health calls.
IMPD officers Adam Ahmad, 32, and Steven Sanchez, 35, face felony charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, and battery in connection with Whitfield’s death.
The family is also pursuing a separate civil lawsuit against the city of Indianapolis, though the outcome of that case won’t be determined until after the criminal case is resolved, said Richard Waples, the family’s attorney.
Whitfield’s death
On April 25, 2022, Gladys Whitfield called 911 to request an ambulance after her son began behaving erratically. She thought he was having a mental health crisis. Instead, six IMPD officers responded to the call.
Body camera footage of the incident shows a nude Whitfield pacing back and forth throughout the northeast Indianapolis home while police attempt to persuade Whitfield to put on his clothes and leave the house to go to the hospital.
Sanchez then deploys his taser twice on Whitfield before officers force Whitfield face down on the floor and place him in handcuffs.
While being restrained, Whitfield can be heard saying, “I can’t breathe.”
The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled Whitfield’s death a homicide as a result of heart failure while under police restraint.
Whitfield’s attorneys argue that IMPD violated its own policy on restraints, which states that officers will not restrain people who are in custody “in a manner that restricts their ability to breathe.”
Remembered as a talented pianist and composer, Whitfield’s death led to Black faith leaders and community members to call for faster implementation of the city’s Clinician-Led Community Response Team, which sends mental health professionals to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis instead of law enforcement.
Featured photo: Herman and Gladys Whitfield, alongside their attorney, Richard Waples, speaking to reporters at the Community Justice Campus, Nov. 4, 2024. Credit: Peter Blanchard/Mirror Indy.
This story is republished here under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
