ALAMEDA, California — The family of a 26-year-old San Francisco Bay Area Latino man is struggling to understand how a minor confrontation with police officers led to his death.
Mario Gonzalez died on April 19 after police in Alameda, Calif. pinned him to the ground face down for more than five minutes in an arrest that unfolded the same day a jury in Minneapolis began deliberating in the George Floyd case.
Officers reportedly responded to a park on April 19 to check out neighbors’ reports that Gonzalez was acting strangely.
Body camera video made public this week shows the circumstances that led to Gonzales' death, including the moments before and after three officers and a civilian parking enforcement employee held Gonzalez down on the ground.
Autopsy findings on the cause of death have not been released, but the family of Gonzalez blames police, accusing them of using excessive force. Three separate investigations are underway.
The officers' attorney tells KTVU-TV that they acted out of concern for Gonzalez's safety because he was disoriented and only used necessary force as he struggled.
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