Felony murder charges have been brought against four individuals linked to the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell, who passed away in June following an incident where security guards restrained him outside a Milwaukee hotel, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office on Tuesday. Mitchell, 43, died from suffocation and the effects of multiple drugs in the incident on June 30, and his manner of death was ruled a homicide, the Milwaukee County medical examiner said in a report released last week. A charge of felony murder has been filed each against Todd Alan Erickson, Devin W. Johnson-Carson, Brandon LaDaniel Turner and Herbert T. Williamson, according to court documents. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office said arrest warrants have been issued for all four, NBC News reports. The charge of felony murder carries up to 15 years and nine months in prison upon conviction, the charging documents say.
On June 30, four hotel employees, including security guards, pinned Mitchell face down on the ground outside the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel, according to officials and court documents. Police have said a person had entered the business, “caused a disturbance” and “fought with security guards as they were escorting” him out. Security detained him until police arrived. Police wrote in the criminal complaint that when officers arrived around 4:30 p.m., Mitchell was on the ground in a driveway and not breathing. The complaint alleges that during a struggle, Mitchell was tackled, punched and kicked — Turner is accused of striking Mitchell three times with a closed fist, Johnson-Carson is accused of striking him once with a fist, and Erickson is accused of kicking him in the torso. Video showed Mitchell being held on the ground for 8 to 9 minutes, police wrote in the complaint, and at various times he struggled to break free. "Towards the end of that time period, DM has stopped showing movement or resistance or other signs of life," police wrote, referring to Mitchell by his initials. Mitchell’s family had demanded that criminal charges be brought.
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