The Milwaukee Police Department said it referred criminal charges to the district attorney’s office on Friday as part of an investigation into the murder of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man who was pushed to the ground by hotel security guards last month.
The police department stated that it referred felony murder charges against four people, with an underlying charge of violence.
According to police chief of staff Heather Hough, the recommendation of charges indicates that officers think they have probable cause. The district attorney’s office is responsible for making the final determination.
NBC News contacted Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm for comment. His office stated via email that there are no updates on the matter and that the inquiry is ongoing. Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Mitchell’s family, stated that the referral of charges “is a significant step toward justice.”
“We are grateful for the referral of these charges, as they underscore the severity of the actions that led to D’Vontaye’s sudden and untimely death,” he told reporters. “We must now encourage the District Attorney’s Office to file these charges legally so that these cops can be held accountable.
Mitchell, 43, visited the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel on June 30. Police reported that a suspect entered the hotel, “caused a disturbance,” and “fought with security guards as they were escorting” him out. Four security officers held him face down on the ground outside a hotel until police came.
A portion of the event was captured on camera, showing Mitchell being restrained on the ground by four hotel security agents.
When one of the security guards notices the bystander filming, he is caught on tape saying, “This is what happens when you go into the lady’s restroom!”
Mitchell yells for aid. “Please! Help! Please! “I apologize,” he says.
It’s unclear what happened before the events depicted in the video.
The Milwaukee County medical examiner determined Mitchell’s preliminary cause of death to be murder. The final results are yet to be decided.
According to Crump, Mitchell’s mother, Brenda Giles, feels her son is suffering a mental health episode. Mitchell’s death was “disturbing” and reminiscent of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after Minneapolis police knelt on his neck for 9½ minutes as Floyd claimed he couldn’t breathe.
In video footage of Mitchell’s detention, one security guard appeared to be kneeling on his back. The footage shows another at Mitchell’s head, while the other two hold his legs and arms down.
According to NBC Crump stated in a July 3 statement that a witness saw a security guard strike Mitchell in the head with an item.
A spokesman for Hyatt confirmed earlier this week that the employees engaged in the event had been suspended. Aimbridge Hospitality, which manages the hotel, announced Wednesday that many staff had been sacked.
“The conduct we saw from several associates on June 30 violated our policies and procedures, and does not reflect our values as an organization or the behaviors we expect from our associates,” a spokeswoman for the business stated. “After a review of their actions, their employment has been terminated.” We will continue our independent inquiry and do whatever we can to assist law enforcement in their investigation of this unfortunate situation.”
The representative did not specify how many employees were fired or what their positions were.