September 23rd 2023.
The family of Gershun Freeman is breathing a sigh of relief as justice is finally within reach. On Sept. 20th, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner announced that nine deputies had been charged in Freeman’s death. This news comes after a troubling surveillance video of the incident surfaced, showing officers punching, kicking, and kneeling on Freeman’s back while he was in the midst of a psychotic episode.
The video starts with two corrections officers serving meals to inmates in a narrow hallway. Freeman then runs out of his cell, naked, and appears to charge towards the officers. They chase him to another jail floor, and when he can’t be subdued, Freeman swings at an officer. The officers eventually restrain Freeman by using knee placement on his neck and cuffing him while he lays on his stomach. Shortly after, Freeman’s body appears to be unresponsive.
According to a medical examiner’s report, Freeman died of a heart attack while being restrained. However, the family’s attorneys allege that he was also hit with handcuffs, rings with jail keys on them, and pepper spray canisters. While his death was ruled a homicide, the report notes that this “is not meant to definitively indicate criminal intent.”
Sheriff Bonner, who is running for mayor of Memphis, said he is “standing with the officers.” He appears to be in full support of the prosecution, calling it “despicable.” His stance is in stark contrast to the city of Memphis, which has been under a microscope since the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Black police officers.
The Freeman family is now one step closer to receiving the justice they have sought for so long. It remains to be seen what repercussions the nine officers will face, but the community is hopeful that the truth will come out and the officers will be held accountable for their heinous actions.
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