美国国家公共电台 NPR--7 deputies in Virginia face murder charges in Black man's death at mental hospital

7 deputies in Virginia face murder charges in Black man's death at mental hospital

Transcript¹

Seven law enforcement officers and three hospital employees have been charged with second-degree murder over the death of a Black man at a state psychiatric hospital last week.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Authorities in Richmond, Va., have accused police and hospital workers of murder.

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Seven sheriff's deputies took a man into custody² and then to a mental hospital. He died in the process. The man was Irvo Otieno, and he was Black. The seven officers are of a variety of races. And we want to note there will be detailed³ accounts of violence in this next conversation.

INSKEEP: Whittney Evans of our member station VPM in Richmond has been following this. Good morning.

WHITTNEY EVANS, BYLINE⁴: Good morning.

INSKEEP: Would you talk us through the facts, at least as far as they're known?

EVANS: Yeah. So this all began March 3 when a neighbor called the police to report a potential burglary. The suspect was 28-year-old Irvo Otieno. Officers and mental health crisis workers on the scene recognized this was a mental health situation. And so they took Otieno to a local hospital. But sometime during that visit, the officers say Otieno started acting⁵ out and assaulting them. So he was taken to jail and charged with vandalism, assault and disorderly conduct. His mother said he did not have access to his medication while in jail. And after three days, deputies transferred him over to the state hospital, where he died soon after arriving.

INSKEEP: Just so I understand, someone called police because they felt there was maybe a burglary. And I guess his attorney or his family's attorney would say he was just behaving in an unusual manner. Is that right?

EVANS: That's right, yes. His attorney said that - something along the lines of, quote, "he was rearranging solar panels" (ph) in his neighbor's yard.

INSKEEP: What do we know about the cause of death?

EVANS: Just a reminder⁶ for listeners, this may be hard to hear graphic⁷ details. The medical examiner hasn't ruled on the cause of death yet, but there's surveillance footage, and it hasn't been released to the public. The family and their lawyers were able to view the footage yesterday, however. They described Otieno as being carried lifelessly, handcuffed, wearing leg irons, slumping⁸ over and even nude⁹ in parts of the video. And they say he was not posing a threat or being violent. His mother, Caroline Ouko, brought her son to the United States from Kenya when he was 4. She told reporters he'd been managing his mental illness for years and had been previously¹⁰ hospitalized.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CAROLINE OUKO: What I saw today was heartbreaking, America. It was disturbing. It was traumatic. My son was tortured.

EVANS: And they say there was a knee on his neck and the weight of multiple people on his body while he was facedown on the floor.

INSKEEP: I guess we should emphasize we're hearing a description of the video. We have not seen the video, but this is a very familiar-sounding description when you hear about a knee on the neck.

EVANS: Right. Attorney Ben Crump thinks so, too. He's representing the family in this case. And you may remember that he also represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He says officers and hospital employees had Otieno pinned down for several minutes.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BEN CRUMP: Why would any law enforcement officer put a knee on the neck of a person who is facedown, handcuffed and restrained? Why would anybody not have enough common sense to say, we've seen this movie before?

INSKEEP: So how are local officials responding then?

EVANS: Well, seven deputies involved have been placed on administrative¹¹ leave. They, along with three state hospital workers, have all been charged with second-degree murder.

INSKEEP: Whittney, thanks so much.

EVANS: Thank you, Steve.

INSKEEP: Whittney Evans of our member station VPM in Richmond, Va.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

8 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。

9 nude   

adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品

参考例句：

• It's a painting of the Duchess of Alba in the nude.这是一幅阿尔巴公爵夫人的裸体肖像画。
• She doesn't like nude swimming.她不喜欢裸泳。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。