The Dallas Morning News obtained body camera footage that was tied up in a legal battle for three years.
The videos show Dallas Police responding after Tony Timpa called 911 and told dispatchers he was off his medication and had used cocaine.
Withheld camera footage for nearly 3 years
On August 10, 2016, an unarmed man named Tony Timpa died in police custody after fearfully calling the authorities and informing them he had taken drugs.
The circumstances surrounding Timpa’s have been under suspicion since the incident, but after being indicted for “misdemeanor deadly conduct” in 2017, prosecutors dropped all charges against the officers in 2019 because they could not prove the officers acted “recklessly.”
Now, however, The Dallas Morning News has obtained one of the officer’s bodycams from the night of Timpa’s death. This footage was previously sealed from the public by court order, and the chilling scene shows the police officers laughing and joking while Timpa dies on the ground in front of them due to their actions.
By the time Dallas police arrived, Timpa had already been handcuffed by local security guards to stop him from running into traffic. Timpa told officers he was high on cocaine and that he was off his schizophrenia medicine.
See how officers responded.
Dallas police officers laughed and joked around as they killed Tony Timpa. It's on video.
They were indicted on misdemeanor charges, which the DA then dismissed.
But, sure, tossing water on cops should be a felony deserving of four years in prison. https://t.co/HhI3ReKMFr
— Rebecca J. Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) July 31, 2019
When Timpa struggled on the ground, yelling for help, the officers decided to hold him in a highly controversial position known as the “prone position,” burying his face in the grass while holding his handcuffed arms behind his back.
This is so awful. Mentally ill man calls 911 for help. Police asphyxiate him in “prime” restraint. Grand jury indicts, but prosecutor dismisses. Ofcrs return to active duty. Only now do we get the video proof. Heartbreaking and appalling. https://t.co/nxJV2abKvR
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) July 31, 2019
The officers held Timpa in this position for 14 minutes as he yells for help, repeatedly screaming:
“You’re gonna kill me!”
While police claim they were holding Timpa in the position to keep him from running into traffic, the bodycam footage shows a nearby police cruiser pulling up to block access to the street.
turns out Dallas cops lied about suffocating a mentally ill guy to death. they laughed and mocked him while he begged for mercy https://t.co/AUSYeiIw6m
— ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper) July 31, 2019
Gradually, Timpa’s pleas get softer and softer as he begins to lose consciousness. The officers make fun of Timpa, laughing as they mock his voice.
When Timpa finally goes quiet, the officers notice and try to determine if he’s still conscious. When he snorts in response, they joke that he’s fallen asleep and continue laughing.
But seriously this is the most important thing and it will likely get missed today. It is not thing adjacent. It is the thing. https://t.co/1dyDBtbz9X
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) July 31, 2019
Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and load Timpa onto a gurney. As they do so, one officer remarks:
“He didn’t just die down there did he? I hope I didn’t kill him.”
Minutes later, the paramedics informed the officers Timpa was dead.
Call the police for help and there’s a decent chance you’ll end up dead. https://t.co/uCpmHrszGM
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) July 31, 2019
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Timpa’s death a homicide, saying he suffered from a cardiac arrest caused by “the toxic effects of cocaine and the stress associated with physical restraint.”
Wailing and pleading with police officers not to kill him, those same officers laughed when he fell unconscious and was dying. Those same officers, who didn’t provide CPR, joked about waking the 32 yo man up for school & making him waffles for breakfast.
https://t.co/tt1NjJZksZ— David Beard (@dabeard) July 31, 2019
All three officers caught on camera participating in Timpa’s death, Kevin Mansell, Danny Vasquez and Dustin Dillard, were later cleared of charges and are now back on active duty.
Whether or not the officer’s choices were truly reckless enough to prosecute, there’s no doubt their conduct, mocking a man as he dies on the ground due to their actions, deserve a strong rebuke from the public.
Timpa may not have been a perfect man, but he called the police seeking help and was ultimately killed by their intervention.
Deaths of truly mentally ill people in interactions with law enforcement are high. While mass murderers rarely die during encounters with police—unless choosing to take their own lives—despite being branded mentally ill by the public to justify their mass shootings, people with diagnosed disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or autism often are killed while seeking help.
If this was a black man the internet/medi would be going crazy
It is never gonna stop… Alot of police also have clubs in the inner circle wich they can join or be part of by reaching 1000 felony stops… Or reaching a goal of arrest and sum are alot uglier like killings/murder…. Even have a technique which take more than one cop to do and has something to do with pressure points … Knee to tje neck and back while arms behind lifted is an automatically death sentense and looks like heart failor… This is nothing new … If a person wants to be a serial killer then joining the force would give you all the cover you need…. Just like a pedifile at a playground. Not saying every cop but it should not be overlooked… And not just coint on that test u take to join
This was NOT intentional, as the article is making it out to be. The PARAMEDIC administered a sedative, BEFORE KNOWING what drugs he took! I say it was on the paramedics- NOT the police officers who were just doing their job! The police CONTINUALLY checked if he was ok and breathing. The paramedic injected him and he went limp!
We have come so far that even the written comments in the article have found police behavior in this situation to be anything but what it really was, MURDER! This would NEVER have played out this way if the police were trained as in Northern Europe where all contacts with the public are treated such that the person accosted is still a human being!
They should face murder charges this was a human being someone son love one. This is why we are having so many mass killings OMG.the is so sad they killed him,
I. Am. Speechless. And that is no small feat….. trust me. I’ve got a knot in my throat & tears just runnin down my face out of anger bec of that poor man. I can’t believe what I just saw. Much less the fact that they’re no not catching any charges for the death. Damn.
The MEDICS killedbTimpa
This was probably one of the cops more lesser stressful cases for the evening so yes they were joking around but they didn’t know that the guy had stopped breathing.
When the paramedic told them they were surprised.