Ben Crump calls for additional mental health training in law enforcement after Irvo Otieno's death

Cierra Jones
·2 min read
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Benjamin Crump
Benjamin Crump
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After the senseless killing of Irvo Otieno, who battled with mental illness, at the hands of several Virginia officers and Central State Hospital employees, attorney Ben Crump is demanding additional mental health training for law enforcement.

Yesterday (March 22), he tweeted the call to action as he shared a link to a petition for authorities to enact the extra exercises. “Irvo Otieno didn’t deserve to be smothered to death when he needed help with a mental health crisis!” Crump captioned his Twitter post. “He isn’t the first and likely won’t be the last person with mental illness to be brutally victimized by police. Call for more mental health training for law enforcement officers.”

Crump’s plea comes after a Virginia prosecutor released surveillance footage of what was supposed to be Otieno’s intake into a mental health facility by authorities, but resulted in his death, REVOLT previously reported. In the video, viewers watched as the Kenyan native was bound by his hands and feet while officers and hospital staff members reportedly attempted to restrain him.

Otieno was pinned on the ground for 12 minutes with at least one knee to his back, similar to how George Floyd was killed in 2020, igniting the Black Lives Matter Movement. Afterward, an officer checked Otieno’s neck pulse, but he was unresponsive. Several minutes went by before someone administered CPR to the 28-year-old. He was later pronounced dead.

The sequence of events began on March 3 when authorities placed Otieno in emergency custody after responding to a call about a possible burglary. After going to the hospital, police said that Otieno was allegedly “assaultive” toward law enforcement. He was then hit with charges and transported to Henrico County Jail, where he remained before officers picked him up and transferred him to the mental health facility on March 6.  

In light of the video and other evidence gathered, seven officers and three hospital employees have been arrested, charged, and indicted on second-degree murder in Otieno’s case.

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