Javier Ambler: Black Texas postal worker dies gasping 'I can't breathe' as cops tase him live on TV show
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS: A 40-year-old black postal worker died in police custody when deputies used a Taser on him as he screamed "I can't breathe" during the filming of police TV show 'Live PD'. The incident has raised concerns that police officers are prioritizing reality show fame over citizens' lives, reports state. The man, identified as Javier Ambler II of Killeen, Texas, was driving home after playing poker with friends on March 28, 2019 when he failed to dim headlights of his car to oncoming traffic.
The father-of-two was then pursued by Williamson County Sheriff's deputy JJ Johnson over the minor traffic violation for nearly thirty minutes. At the end of the pursuit, Ambler pleaded with the deputies telling them he had congestive heart failure and could not breathe while the cameras from A&E Network's reality show 'Live PD' continued rolling.
The deputies ask Ambler to stop resisting but he responds saying: "I'm not resisting." Ambler, in the bodycam footage, can be heard gasping and says "save me" seconds before an officer tases him. The 40-year-old is tased at least four times during this period. The postal office worker then becomes unresponsive as three officers pinning him to the ground search for a pulse and then proceed to give him CPR.
You can watch the video here.
An autopsy later revealed that Ambler died by homicide. The reason was congestive heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease linked with morbid obesity "in combination with forcible restraint." Investigators probing Ambler's case have accused the producers of Live PD and Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody for attempting to undermine efforts to obtain evidence. It is only now that the bodycam footage recently obtained by The Statesman and KVUE shows the disturbing final moments of the father.
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore, while talking to The Statesman, said: "It is of very serious concern to any of us who are in law enforcement that the decision to engage in that chase was driven by more of a need to provide entertainment than to keep Williamson County citizens safe." The release of the bodycam footage has raised concerns from local officials over the deputy, Deputy JJ Johnson's, decision to pursue Ambler so fiercely and taser him multiple times over a minor traffic violation.
The fresh investigation into Ambler's death comes amid a nationwide demonstration over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in a similar manner in police custody in Minneapolis as he pleaded to an officer to let him breathe.
There is growing scrutiny over the police department's accountability in the presence of Live PD, which is a popular cable series that has camera crew capture law enforcement officials working in real-time as they patrol communities. Shows like Live PD, in the past, have faced criticism over their off-air practices and their depiction of law enforcement. It is alleged that camera crew could cut out any content retrospectively that would portray law enforcement in a negative light and that some officers may be encouraged to ignore normal police protocol to create drama for the reality show.