Newly released police bodycam video has sent shockwaves through the nation, capturing the final minutes of Frank Tyson’s life as the 53-year-old Black man died after being arrested by officers in Canton, Ohio. The haunting footage shows Tyson repeatedly gasping “I can’t breathe” before falling unconscious, in a chilling parallel to the 2020 killing of George Floyd that ignited global Black Lives Matter protests.
The Tragic Encounter
The events unfolded on April 18th around 8:25 pm when police responded to reports of a car accident. Officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch claim they found Tyson fleeing into a nearby bar after allegedly leaving the crash scene. What happened next was captured in excruciating detail by the officers’ body cameras.
As they attempted to arrest Tyson inside the bar, a struggleensued. The video shows Tyson crying out in evident distress, yelling “They’re trying to kill me!” and “Call the sheriff!” The officers are seen wrestling the man to the ground, with one pushing his knee into Tyson’s back as he’s handcuffed despite protesting “I can’t breathe.”
A Cruel Echoof Past Injustices
For over 30 seconds, the officer’s knee remains firmly planted on Tyson’s back as he grows increasingly listless, his pleas fading away into deathly silence. It takes a staggering 5 minutes and 12 seconds after Tyson’s lastwords for police to finally check for a pulse – only to realize the worst had occurred.
The disturbing similarities to the horrific killing of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis officer kneeling on his neck for over 9 minutes in 2020, are striking. The latest tragedy has reopened deep wounds, with civil rights groups condemning yet another case of excessive police force leading to an unarmed Black man’s death.
“We demand justice and accountability,” said Tyson’s niece in an interview. The familysays they had looked forward to reuniting with him after his recent release from a 24-year prison sentence, but never got that chance.
Calls for Change and Accountability
Canton Police have placed Officers Schoenegge and Burch on paid administrative leave as Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) probes the incident. Mayor William Sherer II has pledged transparency, stating “My goal is to be as transparent with this community as possible.”
However, reformists insist transparency is simply not enough this time. “We’re beyond body cameras – we need real, lasting policy changes to prevent these tragedies,” said Delores Jackson of the Ohio ACLU. “How many more Black lives must be lost before police respect our human rights?”
The video’s release has reignited passionate nationwide debates around excessive force, systemic racism, and whether enough has truly changed since the Floyd case to protect people of color from police violence.
An All-Too-Familiar Pattern
While supporters of law enforcement argue officers often make split-second decisions in volatile situations, critics point to an unmistakable pattern – a recent study found Black people are 3.5x more likely to be killed by police than whites. Data also reveals Black Americans account for less than 14% of the U.S. population, yet comprised 28% of those killed by police in 2022 alone.
As investigators seek to determine if criminal charges are warranted in Tyson’s death, the country braces for another reckoning around its deep racial divides. For many, the video triggers anguishing déjà vu of past injustices that have yet to be adequately reckoned with or resolved.
While agonizing footage continues exposing uncomfortable truths, observers ponder – how many more Black lives must be tragicallylost before true change finally arrives? As Tyson’s family grieves, that question weighs heavily on the nation’s conscience.
