CANTON, Ohio — After two Canton police officers were charged with reckless homicide in connection to the death of Frank Tyson Friday, the Stark County Prosecuting Attorney, Kyle Stone, shared the grand jury findings regarding the case.
Stone received the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation report on Tyson's death, leading him to present it to the grand jury earlier this week. Stone said that after deliberation, the jury chose to indict officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch with reckless homicide, which is a third-degree felony.
RELATED: 2 Canton officers charged for death of Frank Tyson
With this charge, Stone said the officers could face up to 36 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
“No one is above the law, and no one is so far below it that they don't deserve its protections," Stone said during a press conference Saturday.
However, Stone also said that the officers are still innocent until proven guilty.
You can watch Saturday's press conference live in the player below.
During the press conference, Tyson's family's attorney, Bobby DiCello, said the indictment of the officers is a step toward getting justice.
“We acknowledge that this is just one step to achieving justice for Frank and his family in what has been a long and very difficult journey,” DiCello said. “It is incredibly rare to achieve an outcome like this. It takes strength, courage, and a community to stand up for itself. We will not stop fighting for Frank and his family as we relentlessly pursue justice.”
With DiCello was a group of people who had experienced police violence, including family members of Tyson's.
“I was always thinking there was gonna be a win in this situation; I mean, we’ve been praying on it as a family; people have been praying for us as a family,” John Tyson, Frank's brother, said. “It’s not the win we was looking for, but still, just like the indictment was unexpected, and we’re gonna take this small win and build upon it and just go to the next stage and phases.”
The community also showed their support during the press conference, calling it a day of celebration.
"A lot of good people in this community put their differences aside to try to work together to keep his name alive, because we don't want our family members to be next," said Whillamina Jackson.
Saturday evening, Canton Mayor William Sherer released the following statement regarding the officers' indictment:
“I am aware and acknowledge the indictments of Officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch brought forth by the Stark County Prosecutor for the case surrounding the death of Frank Tyson. While I remain committed to transparency during times like these, given this is a pending case, I am limited on the information we can provide at this time.”
What happened?
On the night of April 18, Tyson died after being arrested by the two Canton officers.
The interaction between Tyson and police started when officers responded to a car accident. Officers found a power pole taken out and a car off the side of the road with a blown airbag.
RELATED: Man dies while in custody of Canton Police following crash
Witnesses told officers Tyson ran into a bar. Canton police body camera video showed police going hands-on when Tyson knocked over a chair.
The video showed a struggle as police took Tyson to the floor, and seconds later, an officer placed a knee on Tyson’s back.
Tyson told officers he couldn’t breathe seven times. Seven minutes passed from when Tyson was handcuffed to when officers realized something was wrong.
The officers began doing chest compressions and administering Narcan. Tyson was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
In August, Tyson's death was ruled a homicide.
RELATED: Coroner rules Frank Tyson's death a homicide
What is prone restraint?
Tyson's cause of death was due to "cardiopulmonary arrest in association with physical altercation and prone restraint," according to the Stark County Coroner's Office.
Other factors listed by the coroner included ischemic cardiovascular disease, acute intoxication by cocaine and ethanol, as well as obesity.
Prone restraint is a controversial arrest technique where a person is left face down.
In 1995, the Department of Justice put out a bulletin for law enforcement on positional asphyxia. It said that when a suspect is prone or face down, along with other risk factors, like drugs, alcohol and obesity, it could lead to sudden death.
One of the most recognizable cases of prone restraint was George Floyd in May 2020. However, there are several other cases in Northeast Ohio, such as Tanisha Anderson in November 2014.
