Body-cam video shows Phoenix officers detaining naked man before dying in custody
PHOENIX - Graphic body camera video shows the encounter between Phoenix police officers and a naked man before he died in police custody.
Police say the edited video shows officers detaining 28-year-old Jessee Rickman after he resisted arrest.
Just before 1 a.m., officers received a call about a male walking naked on the street.
"Apart from being nude, he was speaking incoherently," a police official said. "He was speaking about God and the devil and things like that. Our concern shifted to his welfare. He was in the middle of the road."
Police officials said the man tried to fight officers before they were able to restrain him.
"When officers did that, he became aggressive and started fighting with officers. They handcuffed, put him on the ground and utilized a leg restraint," said a police official.
The video shows police laying him on his side while being looked at by the Phoenix Fire Department. Officers noticed he had passed out.
Rickman was taken to the hospital where he later died.
"One of the things we’ll do as part of our investigation is canvass the area, speak to those neighbors, see if anyone recognized him or was he just walking through the area from another part of town," said one police official.
His cause of death is under investigation, and an internal investigation into the officers' actions is underway.
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