Irvo Otieno: a rapper rapper who discovered his thing (when he found his thing) at the end of his life
Aspiring rapper Irvo Otieno streamed his music – with titles like “Man in the Middle,” “Can’t Wait,” “Trapped Out,” and “Frenzy” – under the name Young Vo.
“He had found his thing. You know that feeling when you find your thing?” Ouko talked about it. He was happy with what he was doing. He would shut the door in his room. And he had it. He was brilliant and creative and bright.”
A Grand Jury Indictment of a Sheriff’s Deputy for Second-Decade Murder and an Emergency Custodial Order
A grand jury indicted seven sheriff’s deputy and three hospital employees on Tuesday for second-degree murder. Baskervill told the court in a last week hearing that the deputies smothered him to death.
He graduated in 2012 from Douglas S. Freeman High School, where – according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch – he played football and basketball, and he attended college in California. His family said Otieno had a passion for music and was working to become a hip-hop artist.
His mother said that he was as American as apple pie. “This is what he knows. This is where he’s at. You are part of a community when you are home. We live close to each other. We have friends who are with us. This young man you see here had a big heart.”
“This was my baby. He cared for people. He cared that people were treated right. That was the core of his life in our home. He cared that people were treated equally.”
Yet he also struggled with mental illness, his family said. Ouko said her son had long stretches where “(you) wouldn’t even know something was wrong,” and then there were times when “he would go into some kind of distress and then you know he needs to see a doctor.”
Police said in a news release that Otieno was seen by police after a report of a possible home invasion. Police put him in an emergency custody order because they had interactions with and observations of him.
According to Virginia law, a person can be placed under an emergency custody order if they think they could hurt themselves or others.
Prosecuting a man killed in the hospital, citing an alleged asphyxiation at the birth of a child
The prosecutor said that seven law enforcement agents, along with three hospital employees, beat him to death while restraining him.
Baskervill said the security guards passively watched the alleged smothering but eventually joined in and piled on top of the victim along with the deputies.
The Henrico Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4 stood behind the deputy in a statement Tuesday. The officers followed their training and looked forward to the case being heard in court, according to attorneys for three of the deputies charged.
According to the statement from the commonwealth attorney, asphyxiation was identified as a cause of death by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
The sheriff’s office in Henrico County said in a statement that seven of its officers were on leave as investigations continue by their agency and state police.
“The events of March 6, at their core, represent a tragedy because Mr. Otieno’s life was lost,” Gregory said. “This loss is felt by not only those close to him but our entire community.”
Three employees at the Central State Hospital have been placed on leave pending the conclusion of legal proceedings related to the death of Otieno.
“The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and Central State Hospital are fully cooperating with the Virginia State Police in this investigation and are working to ensure that Mr. Otieno’s family receives information about the tragic events at the hospital,” the department and the hospital said in a statement to CNN on Monday.
When a loved one is in distress, people should be confident in calling for help. He did not think people cared about preserving a life.
“What I saw was a lifeless human being without any representation,” Ochieng said, adding that his family is broken and demanding more awareness on how to treat those with mental illnesses.
When Irvo Otieno became ill, he didn’t feel like he could go, but he was determined to do better
“Irvo loved sports, music and the beach,” Ochieng wrote on the GoFundMe page. He wanted to be a great person one day and help his relatives in Africa with their needs.
“I cannot be at his wedding. I won’t see a grandchild because he wasn’t helped. No one stood up to stop what was happening. We have to do better.”
Irvo Otieno died March 6 at the state mental health facility during the intake process as he was being transferred from a Henrico County jail, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill.
The news release said that the criminal information warrants are based on the evidence collected, analyzed and evaluated to-date. She said that the video from the Central State Hospital is a key part of the evidence.
Observing the Otieno Family in a Surveillance of a Murder by a Minneapolis Sheriff’s Officer
The view of Otieno is obscured, but one deputy is lying on top of Otieno as he is forced onto his stomach in the video. Otieno is on his back, and several sheriff’s officials seem to be restraining him with their knees. One deputy holds Otieno’s head still by grabbing his braided hair.
The Otieno family and their attorneys were shown the video by prosecutors Thursday, March 16 civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a news conference.
The surveillance video is a “commentary on how inhumane law enforcement officials treat people who are having a mental health crisis as criminals rather than treating them as people who are in need of help,” Crump said.
In the videos, he is never aggressive with them. He is not posing a threat to them. He’s not violent or aggressive with them. You see in the video he is restrained with handcuffs, he has leg irons on, and you see in the majority of the video that he seems to be in between lifelessness and unconsciousness, but yet you see him being restrained so brutally with a knee on his neck,” he said.
She said she followed her son to the hospital on March 3 and a doctor who was treating Otieno approached her and said her son was going to be alright. Ouko said they pulled her son off treatment and took him to jail but didn’t take his medicine.
Mark Krudys, a family attorney, said that Otieno was on medication for his mental illness, but could not take it while in custody.
Medical workers from the hospital are seen converging on the room as CPR continues for nearly an hour. After he is pronounced dead, Otieno is covered in a white sheet, still lying on the floor, his body briefly left alone in the room.
The mother of Otieno, a boy, accused her son of being treated worse than a dog. I had my own eyes on it.
The video shows the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May of 2020, and the family’s attorney compared it to that. That case sparked nationwide protests over police use of force, especially against people of color.
An attorney for one of the deputies charged in the case told CNN he’s “disappointed” the prosecutor released the video because he thinks it could influence the jury pool.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll file a motion to not have that released,” said attorney, who represents deputy Randy Joseph Boyer. “Unfortunately, it’s too late. It’s been released. So I think that was done somewhat strategically by the Commonwealth. That is her prerogative, she can do that. She does not have to do that. She chose to do that last night.”
Investigating the Death of B. E. Otieno, the State Attorney for Sheriff’s Litigation, and the Indicted Seven Deputys
The employee says that the patient was a new admission and that he was very aggressive. They are doing cardiopulmonary therapy right now.
CNN contacted the deputy and asked for comment. Kershner, Boyer’s attorney, told CNN last week they had yet to see video but claimed “nothing was outside of the ordinary” in the lead up to his death.
The man was in need of a medical examination, and they delivered him as quickly as possible. He mentioned that Otieno had a lot of violent noncompliance and they had dealt with him for a long time.
Peter B. Baruch, an attorney for deputy Bradley Thomas Disse, said he “is looking forward to his opportunity to try this case and for the full truth to be shared in court and being vindicated.”
“Policing in America today is difficult, made even more so by the possibility of being criminally charged while performing their duty,” the group said. We are sad over the death of Mr. Otieno. We are behind the seven indicted deputy who are now charged with murder.