Latest news with #Irondale
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Washington Post
Family says video shows Alabama man died after officer knelt on his neck
Relatives of an unarmed man who died as he was being detained by police last year are disputing officers' account of the incident, saying they recently viewed body-camera footage that showed Alabama officers knelt on the man's neck while he repeated 'I can't breathe.' Phillip Reeder, 52, was having a mental health episode when police in Irondale, Alabama, responded to calls that he was running in and out of traffic in the early hours of Aug. 6, 2024, according to the police report. In a statement Monday, the city of Irondale and its police department said officers only used their arms in restraining Reeder, and pointed to Reeder's heart disease and drug use as key factors in his death.
Al Arabiya
22-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Police Deny Wrongdoing in Death of Alabama Man, Dispute Family's Account
Police officers in Alabama who were involved in the arrest of a man who died while handcuffed were not at fault, officials said, disputing an account from the man's family who are calling for the officers to be charged. Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, 52, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday. The Birmingham suburb's announcement came hours after attorneys for Reeder's family shared a county coroner's report that said Reeder's death was a homicide caused by a combination of his heart disease, cocaine, injuries, and exertion from the altercation with police. Attorneys for the family said a police officer kneeled on Reeder's neck and compared what happened to Reeder with what happened to George Floyd in 2020–an incident that captured the country's attention and renewed scrutiny of police practices. Reeder was white; Floyd was Black. In autopsies, the term homicide has a medical definition that is different from a criminal one. In a medical context, homicide means that a death is caused at the hands of another person but does not necessarily mean someone is criminally guilty. Both the police department and Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, agree that police officers were dispatched to a local highway just after 5 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2024, after multiple 911 complaints of a man behaving erratically and running into traffic. 'Reeder continued to run in the road shouting when officers approached him, ignoring multiple commands to comply,' the city statement said. Officers then shocked Reeder with a Taser, saying he posed a danger to himself and others. 'After officers handcuffed him, Mr. Reeder continued to struggle and resist for almost two minutes,' the statement read. Officers used their arms to restrain Reeder, it said, but 'no knee was placed in the back of his neck and no excessive force was used.' The statement emphasized that Reeder had a history of hypertensive heart disease, which the coroner said contributed to his death. The statement underscored the portion of the autopsy that said the blunt force injuries alone would not account for Mr. Reeder's death. It also said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state agency tasked with investigating the incident, found no wrongdoing and that the Jefferson County District Attorney didn't see evidence sufficient for criminal charges against the officers involved. Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, offered an account Monday that was starkly different. She and her attorney say they saw body camera footage of the incident on July 18 after almost a year of asking the city and police department for more information on Reeder's death. 'The video showed no attempt from the Irondale police officers to talk Phillip down,' Reeder's wife said at a news conference. She said that her husband was unarmed and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sandra Lee Reeder said an officer put a knee on Reeder's neck for approximately three minutes after he was shocked with the Taser. She said her husband can be heard saying 'I can't breathe' three times while he was restrained. The body camera footage has not been released publicly because of an Alabama law that governs release of police recordings. The law says an agency may choose to not disclose a recording to the public if it would affect an active law enforcement investigation but does not require an agency to provide a reason for denying a request. Reeder's family attorney, Roderick Van Daniel, has urged authorities to release the bodycam video to the public.
The Independent
22-07-2025
- The Independent
Police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family's account
Police officers in Alabama who were involved in the arrest of a man who died while handcuffed were not at fault, officials said, disputing an account from the man's family who are calling for the officers to be charged. Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, 52, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday. The Birmingham suburb's announcement came hours after attorneys for Reeder's family shared a county coroner's report that said Reeder's death was a homicide caused by a 'combination of his heart disease, cocaine, injuries, and exertion from the altercation' with police. Attorneys for the family said an police officer kneeled on Reeder's neck and compared what happened to Reeder with what happened to George Floyd in 2020 — an incident that captured the country's attention and renewed scrutiny of police practices. Reeder was white; Floyd was Black. In autopsies, the term homicide has a medical definition that is different from a criminal one. In a medical context, homicide means that a death is caused at the hands of another person, but does not necessarily mean someone is criminally guilty. Both the police department and Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, agree that police officers were dispatched to a local highway just after 5 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2024, after multiple 911 complaints of a man behaving erratically and running into traffic. Reeder continued to run in the road, shouting, when officers approached him, ignoring 'multiple commands to comply,' the city statement said. Officers then shocked Reeder with a Taser, saying he 'posed a danger to himself and others.' After officers handcuffed him, 'Mr. Reeder continued to struggle and resist for almost two minutes,' the statement read. Officers used their arms to restrain Reeder, it said, but 'No knee was placed in the back of his neck, and no excessive force was used.' The statement emphasized that Reeder had a history of 'hypertensive heart disease,' which the coroner said contributed to his death. The statement underscored the portion of the autopsy that said 'the blunt force injuries alone would not account for Mr. Reeder's death." It also said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state agency tasked with investigating the incident, found no wrongdoing and that the Jefferson County District Attorney didn't see evidence 'sufficient for criminal charges' against the officers involved. Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, offered an account Monday that was starkly different. She and her attorney say they saw body camera footage of the incident on July 18, after almost a year of asking the city and police department for more information on Reeder's death. The video showed 'no attempt from the Irondale police officers to talk Phillip down," Reeder's wife said at a news conference. She said that her husband was unarmed and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sandra Lee Reeder said an officer put a knee on Reeder's neck for approximately three minutes after he was shocked with the Taser. She said her husband can be heard saying 'I can't breathe' three times while he was restrained. The body camera footage has not been released publicly because of an Alabama law that governs release of police recordings. The law says an agency may choose to not disclose a recording to the public if it would affect an active law enforcement investigation, but does not require an agency to provide a reason for denying a request. Reeder's family attorney, Roderick Van Daniel, has urged authorities to release the bodycam video to the public. ___ Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Associated Press
Police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family's account
Police officers in Alabama who were involved in the arrest of a man who died while handcuffed were not at fault, officials said, disputing an account from the man's family who are calling for the officers to be charged. Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, 52, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday. The Birmingham suburb's announcement came hours after attorneys for Reeder's family shared a county coroner's report that said Reeder's death was a homicide caused by a 'combination of his heart disease, cocaine, injuries, and exertion from the altercation' with police. Attorneys for the family said an police officer kneeled on Reeder's neck and compared what happened to Reeder with what happened to George Floyd in 2020 — an incident that captured the country's attention and renewed scrutiny of police practices. Reeder was white; Floyd was Black. In autopsies, the term homicide has a medical definition that is different from a criminal one. In a medical context, homicide means that a death is caused at the hands of another person, but does not necessarily mean someone is criminally guilty. Both the police department and Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, agree that police officers were dispatched to a local highway just after 5 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2024, after multiple 911 complaints of a man behaving erratically and running into traffic. Reeder continued to run in the road, shouting, when officers approached him, ignoring 'multiple commands to comply,' the city statement said. Officers then shocked Reeder with a Taser, saying he 'posed a danger to himself and others.' After officers handcuffed him, 'Mr. Reeder continued to struggle and resist for almost two minutes,' the statement read. Officers used their arms to restrain Reeder, it said, but 'No knee was placed in the back of his neck, and no excessive force was used.' The statement emphasized that Reeder had a history of 'hypertensive heart disease,' which the coroner said contributed to his death. The statement underscored the portion of the autopsy that said 'the blunt force injuries alone would not account for Mr. Reeder's death.' It also said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state agency tasked with investigating the incident, found no wrongdoing and that the Jefferson County District Attorney didn't see evidence 'sufficient for criminal charges' against the officers involved. Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, offered an account Monday that was starkly different. She and her attorney say they saw body camera footage of the incident on July 18, after almost a year of asking the city and police department for more information on Reeder's death. The video showed 'no attempt from the Irondale police officers to talk Phillip down,' Reeder's wife said at a news conference. She said that her husband was unarmed and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sandra Lee Reeder said an officer put a knee on Reeder's neck for approximately three minutes after he was shocked with the Taser. She said her husband can be heard saying 'I can't breathe' three times while he was restrained. The body camera footage has not been released publicly because of an Alabama law that governs release of police recordings. The law says an agency may choose to not disclose a recording to the public if it would affect an active law enforcement investigation, but does not require an agency to provide a reason for denying a request. Reeder's family attorney, Roderick Van Daniel, has urged authorities to release the bodycam video to the public. ___ Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Woman compares husband's death to George Floyd after cops allegedly kneel on his neck during restraint
An Alabama woman whose husband died shortly after being restrained by police is comparing his case to that of George Floyd. Sandra Lee Reeder claims that her husband, Phillip, called out at least three times that he could not breathe as an Irondale Police Department officer allegedly kneeled on the back of his neck for three minutes. Sandra and her family are calling for an investigation into the department and likening Phillip's death to Floyd's murder at the hands of a Minneapolis Police Department officer in 2020. The 52-year-old's cause of death was ruled a homicide by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office, which noted he appeared to suffer a dysrhythmia — a kind of heart attack — brought on by the presence of cocaine in his blood, heart disease, and exertion. "It is our opinion, based on the circumstances surrounding death and the findings at autopsy, that Mr Phillip David Reeder died of hypertensive heart disease associated with cocaine use and restraint during altercation," Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said. "The manner of death is best classified as 'homicide' for vital statistical purposes." Authorities said homicide is not a legal conclusion of fault, according to Last August, Irondale police responded to a report that a man on Highway 78 was running in and out of traffic and acting erratically, reported. The man running around in traffic was Phillip. Sandra said her husband was having a mental health crisis due to work stress and was not committing a crime when police arrived to restrain him. She and her family viewed body camera footage of the incident on Friday. 'The Reeder family's hearts are heavy,' Sandra said during a press conference. 'Phillip David Reeder suffered a painful death.' Sandra describes seeing her husband in the video calling out that he can't breathe three times while an officer kneeled on his neck. Another officer as the scene suggested that the kneeling officer roll Phillip over, according to his wife. Police claimed that Phillips was tased, hit his head, and was given first aid at the scene until medics arrived to transport him to a hospital. Phillip died at the hospital. His wife says the body camera footage suggests otherwise, and pointed to the coroner's report stating Phillip had other injuries on his body that were not his cause of death. 'In another statement in the Irondale Police Department police report on Phillip David Reeder, it states that when Phillip was tased that Phillip suffered his bloody face and abrasions on his face from stumbling hitting his head and face in concrete,' Sandra said during a press conference on Monday. 'Upon my review of all four body cams, this is not the truth.' Attorneys for the city issued a statement on Monday saying they disagreed with the way Sandra presented the situation during her press conference. Attorneys added that none of the city's officers put a knee on the back of Phillip's neck. 'The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office did not see any probable cause sufficient for criminal charges in regard to the officers and their actions during the arrest/use of force incident,' the city said in a statement. According to the family has not filed a wrongful death lawsuit, but the move is under consideration.
