IN - Rhyker Earl, 26, dead after police pin him down after seizure, DeMotte, 8 SEP 2024

[Audrina]

You may have noticed that people who are short of breath can only speak in short sentences, one or two words at a time. Talking requires that air get down to the voice box, a relatively short distance, and breathing requires that air get down into the lungs.

Adequate breathing requires both ventilation and respiration at the appropriate rate, depth and air quality, and allowing for good ventilation (air movement) will aid in good respiration. Additionally, we must know that talking may not necessarily equal adequate breathing. Protecting people from harm includes understanding how breathing works.

I Can’t Breathe: What It Means for Law Enforcement

Breathing is complex, and misunderstood, by too many, including law enforcement. Here’s what law enforcement must understand about the statement, “I can’t breathe.”

www.lexipol.com

 

[IceIce9]

Officers usually would not be on the scene unless the EMTs and/or medics reported the victim as being combative.

JMO

 

[tlcya]

Officers usually would not be on the scene unless the EMTs and/or medics reported the victim as being combative.

JMO

LE arrived first followed by EMTs. I agree, if LE had been called after due to patient being combative that would be one thing. But the young man's mother reportedly called 911 to report a medical emergency and request EMS. Not a crime or combative behavior.

 

[IceIce9]

LE arrived first followed by EMTs. I agree, if LE had been called after due to patient being combative that would be one thing. But the young man's mother reportedly called 911 to report a medical emergency and request EMS. Not a crime or combative behavior.

If a drug overdose is suspected LE often arrives first, and they do carry Narcan.

I would like to know if there have been previous calls to this home or victim before.

If there has ever been a drug overdose call, or a call where the victim or a resident of the home has been combative, or a call that has involved a weapon, or if a resident has a record of violent crime, often any call would result in LE arriving before EMTs or medics.

Not saying this is the case here but there are 911 calls where EMTs and or medics do not enter the scene until LE has communicated that the scene is safe.

Obviously we don't have all the details, I am just trying to come up with possible explanations for LE arriving first.

JMO

 

[Bounceycat]

If a drug overdose is suspected LE often arrives first, and they do carry Narcan.

I would like to know if there have been previous calls to this home or victim before.

If there has ever been a drug overdose call, or a call where the victim or a resident of the home has been combative, or a call that has involved a weapon, or if a resident has a record of violent crime, often any call would result in LE arriving before EMTs or medics.

Not saying this is the case here but there are 911 calls where EMTs and or medics do not enter the scene until LE has communicated that the scene is safe.

Obviously we don't have all the details, I am just trying to come up with possible explanations for LE arriving first.

JMO

One of the articles from today's posts says he has had seizures for 7 years and on average they are once a month. This incident was the second seizure of the day for Rhyker and some of the responding EMTs from the fateful second call were also present at the call earlier in the day.

Source:

https://wgntv.com/news/indiana/i-witnessed-him-begging-for-his-life-indiana-father-dies-after-police-encounter-following-seizure-attorney-says/

Last week, on Sunday, Sept. 8, Emergency Medical Technicians were called to help 26-year-old Rhyker Earl, a beloved father of two who was prone to having seizures.

Family members said some of those same EMTs returned later that evening, along with Jasper County police, after Earl suffered a more severe seizure at his home in DeMotte, Indiana, which prompted his grandmother to call 911.

 

[tlcya]

The family and their lawyers held a press conference on Sept. 23, in DeMotte, Indiana where Earl lived. They called for the Jasper County Sheriff to release body camera video from the night they were called for help.
[snip]
Jasper County Sheriff Pat Williamson said, in a statement, that Earl was demonstrating "significant physical resistance to the medical personnel on the scene."
'Grandma, please, make 'em get off of me' | Family calls for release of body cam video as Indiana father dies after police incident

I have a friend who recently began to experience unexplained seizures. Dr.s are still trying to ascertain the cause. I have been present during a number of them lately. I have become experienced in the dos and don'ts of how to assist in assuring her safety during such events. I can say from personal experience that she is very confused and disoriented for a significant time after she starts to come out of a seizure.

I look forward to seeing the body cam video of this call.

 

[tlcya]

Earl was in what is called a "post ictal state."

"The seizure itself is when the actual electrical storm is occurring," French said. "But it leaves the parts of the brain that it went through unable to function properly."

The "post ictal" state looks different in every patient, and even after every seizure. In mild cases, it's just a little bit of forgetfulness. More severe cases can involve headaches. Often it also causes confusion.

"In many people, if it was a significant seizure, they can be left in a state where the world does not seem familiar to them," French said. "People don't seem familiar to them. And of course, if that's the case, it's likely that people are coming at you aggressively, you will not understand."
Rhyker Earl died after a seizure led to a police incident in northern Indiana. He isn't the only one.

 

[LoveyG]

LE arrived first followed by EMTs. I agree, if LE had been called after due to patient being combative that would be one thing. But the young man's mother reportedly called 911 to report a medical emergency and request EMS. Not a crime or combative behavior.

It sounds like EMS was there first and called LE for help. From the press release posted above:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

Post in thread 'IN - Rhyker Earl, 26, dead after police pin him down after seizure, DeMotte, 8 SEP 2024'

Sep 17, 2024

Statement from the Jasper County (Indiana) Sheriff's Office Facebook Page - 12 SEP 2024:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

On September 8, 2024, at approximately 8:35 p.m., the Jasper County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 medical call from a residence located about 4 miles southwest of DeMotte, Indiana. Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

On September 10, 2024, the Sheriff's Office was informed that the patient had passed away. The Lake County Coroner’s Office will complete their investigation...

• Bounceycat

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• 

 

[tlcya]

It sounds like EMS was there first and called LE for help. From the press release posted above:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

Post in thread 'IN - Rhyker Earl, 26, dead after police pin him down after seizure, DeMotte, 8 SEP 2024'

Sep 17, 2024

Statement from the Jasper County (Indiana) Sheriff's Office Facebook Page - 12 SEP 2024:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

On September 8, 2024, at approximately 8:35 p.m., the Jasper County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 medical call from a residence located about 4 miles southwest of DeMotte, Indiana. Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

On September 10, 2024, the Sheriff's Office was informed that the patient had passed away. The Lake County Coroner’s Office will complete their investigation...

• Bounceycat

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given what has recently happened in my city where a woman calling LE for assistance then died by cop, I think I will await the 911 call, the dispatch logs, and the body cams in this one before I believe a word from any official. Regardless, positional asphyxia is not new or unknown, to either LE or EMS. This should not have happened.
-----------------------------------
For decades, police across the United States have been warned that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long.
[snip]
The cases involving prone restraint are among more than 1,000 AP documented over a decade of people who died not by gunshot but after officers used force that is not meant to kill. In all, at least 740 of these encounters involved prone restraint, making it the most prevalent tactic. It was also commonly misapplied.
Risks of Handcuffing Someone Facedown Long Known; People Die When Police Training Fails To Keep Up | FRONTLINE.

 

[IceIce9]

It sounds like EMS was there first and called LE for help. From the press release posted above:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

Post in thread 'IN - Rhyker Earl, 26, dead after police pin him down after seizure, DeMotte, 8 SEP 2024'

Sep 17, 2024

Statement from the Jasper County (Indiana) Sheriff's Office Facebook Page - 12 SEP 2024:

PRESS RELEASE - September 12th, 2024

On September 8, 2024, at approximately 8:35 p.m., the Jasper County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 medical call from a residence located about 4 miles southwest of DeMotte, Indiana. Keener Township EMS arrived on scene and promptly requested assistance from the Fire Department and Sheriff's Deputies.

On September 10, 2024, the Sheriff's Office was informed that the patient had passed away. The Lake County Coroner’s Office will complete their investigation...

• Bounceycat

• 
• 

This makes more sense. The question is, why did EMS call for assistance?

 

[tlcya]

The family said that Rhyker has been having seizures about once a month for the past 7 years. They say Rhyker had a seizure early that day, and the same EMTs responded.
'Grandma, please, make 'em get off of me' | Family calls for release of body cam video as Indiana father dies after police incident

 

[IceIce9]

The family said that Rhyker has been having seizures about once a month for the past 7 years. They say Rhyker had a seizure early that day, and the same EMTs responded.
'Grandma, please, make 'em get off of me' | Family calls for release of body cam video as Indiana father dies after police incident

This makes me wonder if he might have been combative, or if there was something else at the scene that caused EMS to request LE assistance.

 

[LoveyG]

This makes me wonder if he might have been combative, or if there was something else at the scene that caused EMS to request LE assistance.

Also, he was a large man. He might have been too much for EMS to handle.

 

[IceIce9]

So tired of LE acting like fragile-egoed idjits. They killed a man.

Also confused why LE would respond to a 911 call for someone having a medical emergency. EMTs at least should understand seizures and what can happen in the post-ictal state.

It is being reported that EMTs called for officers after arriving at the scene.

This is a correct response to prevent head trauma to the victim:

Williamson said that on the bodycam video, Earl could be seen “forcefully banging his head on the floor.”

That’s why he said “deputies immediately asked the family for a pillow and placed it under his head to prevent Earl from injuring himself.

'Should not have happened:' Family seeks bodycam footage after NW Indiana man dies while handcuffed

It was a night Tara Earl said she will never forget: the night her brother Rhyker died with his hands cuffed behind his back in Demotte, Indiana.

www.nbcchicago.com

 

[Bounceycat]

It is being reported that EMTs called for officers after arriving at the scene.

This is a correct response to prevent head trauma to the victim:

Williamson said that on the bodycam video, Earl could be seen “forcefully banging his head on the floor.”

That’s why he said “deputies immediately asked the family for a pillow and placed it under his head to prevent Earl from injuring himself.

'Should not have happened:' Family seeks bodycam footage after NW Indiana man dies while handcuffed

It was a night Tara Earl said she will never forget: the night her brother Rhyker died with his hands cuffed behind his back in Demotte, Indiana.

www.nbcchicago.com

Also from that link:
"His family said releasing the video is crucial to their understanding of how the 26-year-old died."

I agree 1000%. Hopefully that will put the discrepancies between the family's account and LE's account to rest. Also hoping the autopsy will show some definitive results as well.

 

[ErinC]

It utterly befuddles me that any first responder, in this day and age, wouldn't understand that people coming out of a seizure can be aggressive, sometimes very much so. I provide care for people with disabilities, and have gotten my backside handed to me more than once by someone coming out of a seizure. I understand EMS calling for backup- he was a large individual and they probably couldn't keep him safe without help. What I do not understand is how said backup then decided he was a criminal and embarked on a course of action that led to his death. I will be extremely interested to see what the investigation reveals.

 

[IceIce9]

I watched the video. EMS was on the scene first, called police for assistance because he was being combative and uncooperative.

This patient was known to EMS, and had been combative during previous EMS calls.

It is difficult to hear but it sounds like one of the medics requested help getting him on the stretcher to transport, they were afraid they might drop the stretcher as he was kicking them.

JMO

 

[tlcya]

Having seen the body cam footage here:

I find it very problematic that the alleged aggression is not on the video as the officer who wore the cam was obscuring it (I am not suggesting that it was purposefully obscured mind you). I hear an officer speaking and saying "don't hit him, you understand? you don't hit him don't touch him" assuming officer is referring to actions he perceived Rhyker taking against or towards one of the EMS present but I cannot see Rhyker touching or hitting anyone because cam is obscured. JMO MOO