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Activist groups are planning a press conference and march at the Palmetto Police Department. This comes as they claim a man was brutalized by police during a paranoia episode.
On November 1st, 36-year-old Breonte Johnson-Davis Sr. suffered a paranoia episode when an emergency call was made. Activist groups say the video shows him being tased and punched multiple times. He went into cardiac arrest and died the next day at the hospital.
Ruth Beltran is a community organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation Tampa Bay.
“The family has been left with absolutely no answers at all. Not even a simple police report has been provided to the family.”
The group is calling for an independent investigation and better response from police to mental health crises.
“The entire county of Manatee needs to implement a program where, when there is an emergency call that involves mental health issues or someone dealing with drug addiction, mental health professionals respond to those calls instead of police.”
Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler told WMNF that details, including the police report and full video, have not been released due to an ongoing FDLE investigation of the case.
Tyler is hoping the investigation will be completed in the next few weeks.
Activist groups will be holding the Press conference and March at Palmetto Police Department on January 7th at 2 pm.
