Who are Eric McKinley, Cameron Leahy and James Fisher? California cops kneeled on Mario Gonzalez as he died
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA: An officer from Alameda Police Department, California, assured 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez "it's OK, Mario. We're going to take care of you," as he and two other cops pushed him face-down on the ground and handcuffed him. However, four and half minutes later, Gonzalez could be found to be unresponsive on the ground, as revealed by the bodycam footage of the officers. Despite administering chest compressions and other emergency survival methods, he could not be revived.
Mario Gonzalez died in police custody in Alameda County, California on April 19, 2021, just two days before Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd. After the bodycam footage of the incident was released, a city spokesperson named officers Eric McKinley, Cameron Leahy and James Fisher to be involved in the encounter, according to ACQRO.
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The officers took Gonzalez to the hospital, where he was declared dead. Police have no explanation for his alleged “medical emergency”, as informed to his family, while the man’s family claimed he “suffered no medical conditions.”
Who are Eric McKinley, Cameron Leahy and James Fisher?
The three officers identified in the video are seasoned cops with several years of experience in the police force. While Eric McKinley and Cameron Leahy have been on the force for three years, James Fishes is the most senior among the three with ten years of experience. Around 10.45 am on April 19, officers at the Alameda Police Department received separate reports of a man seemingly behaving under influence and another possibly involved in a theft. Soon, they responded to the venue reported as 800 block of Oak Street.
You can watch the video here.
The bodycam footage which was released shows video captured from three different angles by the body-worn cameras of three officers. The video reveals that the first officer arrived at the scene around six minutes after receiving the 911 call and started interrogating Mario Gonzalez. Fourteen minutes later, a second officer arrived at the scene inquiring about Gonzalez's ID. Soon afterward, the officers can be seen grabbing him and trying to put him in handcuffs.
Following a scuffle with the officers, Gonzalez falls face-down to the grown and screams out loudly, as one of the officers can be seen kneeling on his back. Soon the same officer kneels near Gonzalez's neck and shoulder blade, while a third officer is seen on his legs. While he was being held down on the ground, the first officer insisted that Gonzalez keep talking. He kept whimpering words while gasping and grunting, till he becomes unresponsive a while later.
Later, the first responding officer who tackled Gonzalez stated to medical workers, "He went from combative to nonresponsive almost immediately." While three separate investigations are ongoing about Mario Gonzalez's custodial death, officers McKinley, Leahy, and Fisher have been placed on paid administrative leave in the meantime, reported KRON4.
While no photographs of the officers have been released, the Facebook page of the Alameda Police Department shows previous appreciation posts for a certain Officer Leahy and an Officer McKinley.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been launched by Mario Gonzalez's family and friends, demanding a “thorough and unbiased criminal investigation". The page has raised $75,919 of its target of $120,000.