Who was Mario Gonzalez? California man's family says he was 'killed like George Floyd' by cops who kneeled on him
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Bodycam footage released by police show Alameda officers kneeling on the back and neck of a California man for several minutes before he lost his pulse. Mario Gonzalez, a 26-year-old father, died on April 19 after cops tried to handcuff him while responding to "two separate reports of a male who appeared to be under the influence and a suspect in a possible theft". Mario’s family members have now compared his death to George Floyd’s.
Calling the use of force by police “unnecessary and unprofessional”, Mario’s brother Gerardo Gonzalez said at a press conference on Tuesday, April 27, “Everything we saw in that video was unnecessary and unprofessional. The police killed my brother in the same manner that they killed George Floyd.” Lawyer Julia Sherwin, who is representing the family, also blasted police’s initial report that stated “at that time, the man [Mario] had a medical emergency.” Sherwin called the report “misinformation”, while comparing it to the police report that was presented after Floyd was killed while being detained by Minneapolis cops on May 25, 2020.
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The lawyer said that Mario's family wanted to know “why the police used force in the first place”. She added, “His death was completely avoidable and unnecessary. Drunk guy in a park doesn't equal a capital sentence.” But officers in their defense stated that they arrived at the 800 block of Oak Street in the morning of April 19 after she received a call related to a fight and “Mario had a medical emergency.” They also performed lifesaving procedures including CPR on Mario and took him to hospital, where he was declared dead. Police officers have no explanation for his alleged “medical emergency”, while the man’s family claimed he “suffered no medical conditions.”
The officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid leave while it is being probed by the sheriff's office and district attorney. Mario’s mother Edith Gonzalez said that her four-year-old grandson kept asking about his father. “My grandson, right here, he asked me, 'Mami, mami, my papi passed away? My papi died? My papi died?’ How can I say that? Somebody kill him?” she added.
One of the 911 calls released by police was reportedly made by a man who lives in a home near where Mario died. In the call, the unknown man told dispatchers he had been “talking to himself.” “There's a man in my front yard kind to talking to himself, no mask. I went out there and the dog is barking at him and I went out there and he's not making any sense and I don't know what to do. It seems like he's tweaking but he's not doing anything wrong, he's just scaring my wife,” the person added.
Another 911 call was made by another person, who told dispatchers, “There's a man at the park with two Walgreens baskets with some alcohol bottles that it looks like he's breaking the security tags off of.” The person also complained that he had been “loitering around.” Body camera footage showed officer Eric McKinley walking towards Mario, who was then asked by cops how he was feeling. “Well, I'm feeling alright I guess,” he replied.
Mario was also asked by cops if he feels like hurting himself, he said, “It's not that.” The video showed officers calling dispatchers to send another cop to the local Walgreens to probe “any walkouts” while Mario talked with them. Later in the footage, officer McKinley said to the young father he is “worried about this open container” of alcohol, and in response, Mario was seen attempting to put the cap back on to the bottle. But the officer then raised his voice and asked Mario to identify himself and ensure he’s “not going to be drinking in any of our parks over here' so cops could be on their 'merry way.’”
Another cop then tried to convey to Mario that he needs to provide his ID to include in their reports so that they can mention whom they spoke to while responding to the 911 calls. The cop also asked him if he lives in the city of Alameda, Mario responded, “I haven't gotten a house yet.” Cops then asked him to keep his hands out of the pockets and also told him, “Come over here, we don't want you to fall down.” But when Mario was instructed by officers to put his arms behind his back and “just relax”, he said, “No, I didn't do nothing.”
“Stop resisting us, don't fight us,” a cop can be heard in the footage while Mario insisted, “I didn't do nothing. Please stop.” After that, he was put to the ground as cops continued to struggle to get his arms behind his back. One cop was also seen kneeling on his back as Mario gasps and pants multiple times. “I didn't do it! I didn't do it!” he added. After several minutes, the cop removed his knee from Mario. Later, when he was turned around one of the officers told dispatchers that “he has gone unresponsive.” The footage then showed more cops at the scene as one of them orders to “start CPR” and said that he has “no pulse.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe for Mario has demanded a “thorough and unbiased criminal investigation.” It stated, “Our family was able to finally see the bodycam footage that Alameda police finally released to the public on 04/27/21. Our fight for justice remains re-affirmed after what we witnessed. Continue to hold us in your prayers and stand in solidarity with us and all the families whose loved ones have been killed by police.”