MANSFIELD, Ohio — A judge declared a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of a former Richland County corrections officer Thursday afternoon.
Cooper was accused of causing Alexander Rios's death inside the Richland County Jail on September 19, 2019.
Cooper was charged with one count of reckless homicide and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
It is unclear if the case will be retried.
Uncovering video of the incident played a crucial role in learning what happened.
In the early morning hours of September 19, 2019, 28-year-old Rios was booked into the Richland County Jail on an outstanding warrant.
Just before midnight, a supervisor began recording video on a handheld camera after Rios refused to get down from a divider.
Moments later, his plan to restrain Rios went wrong. When corrections officers opened the cell door, Rios escaped.
Almost immediately, five officers restrain him. Then, a female officer encourages them to use more force.
They use their Taser on him twice. Then, an officer punches him in the head.
About 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the video recorded by a supervisor, Cooper, whose right foot is on Rios’s shoulder, lifts his left foot off the ground. The full weight of his body is on Rios’s back for seven seconds.
At some point, Rios loses consciousness. No one notices until it’s too late.
"He’s turning blue. He’s turning blue. You hear me?” one officer can be heard saying in the video.
The father of two never regained consciousness.
Rios's family sued Richland County in federal court. They reached a settlement for $4 million.
