Cousin of Black Lives Matter founder died after being repeatedly tasered by police – as bodycam footage released
A relative of a Black Lives Matter founder died from a cardiac arrest after being repeatedly tasered by police in the US.
Keenan Anderson, the cousin of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, was arrested by police on 3 January following a traffic collision in Los Angeles.
Bodycam footage of the incident shows Mr Anderson initially complying with police before running away into traffic.
An officer on a motorcycle pursued Mr Anderson, catching up with him and ordering him to lie on the ground.
Back up officers arrived and struggled to restrain the 31-year-old English teacher on the ground, eventually tasering him multiple times.
The footage showed Keenan Anderson on the ground. Pic: LAPD
Distressing footage shows Mr Anderson screaming for help and repeatedly shouting that the police were “trying to kill” him.
At one point, when an officer had his arm across his throat, he could be heard yelling that the officers were trying to “George Floyd” him, then accusing the police of being “actors”.
He was then handcuffed and his legs restrained.
Following the arrest Mr Anderson, a father of one, was attended to by paramedics before being taken to a local hospital.
He went into cardiac arrest at hospital and died, around four and a half hours after officers began trying to restrain him.
A preliminary toxicology report showed Mr Anderson tested positive for cocaine and cannabis, police said, adding the Los Angeles County coroner’s office is expected to conduct its own independent toxicology tests.
His cousin, Ms Cullors, said on Instagram that her cousin was “killed by the LAPD”.
She added: “Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his child deserves to be raised by his father. Keenan we will fight for you and for all of our loved ones impacted by state violence.”
Identities of officers involved not revealed
BLM supporters have since staged a protest outside the LAPD headquarters.
Footage of the incident involving Mr Anderson has been published online by the LAPD.
Police chief Michel Moore said the videos were released to “demonstrate our commitment to full transparency and to judge this on the merits of what the investigation shows us and to ask for the public’s patience as we go about this engagement”.
He added that it was “unclear what role” the officers played in Mr Anderson’s death and they have, as yet, not been named by the LAPD.
Los Angeles County coroner’s office is still investigating.
Mr Anderson was handcuffed and his legs restrained. Pic: LAPD
Three people have died since the start of the year during or following interactions with the LAPD, something which Mr Moore said he was “deeply concerned” about during the press conference.
Along with Mr Anderson’s death from cardiac arrest, Oscar Sanchez, 35, and Takar Smith, 45, have both been shot and killed since the turn of the year.
Mr Smith was shot after threatening officers with a butcher’s knife. The officers had failed to call a specialist mental health team to the incident after being informed by his wife on the 911 call that he suffered from schizophrenia and hadn’t been taking his medication, meaning he was likely to be violent.
Mr Sanchez reportedly brandished a “makeshift spear” at police and, following a confrontation, was shot multiple times by the arresting officers.
Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin in person as early as next week to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, a White House official has said.
They said the meeting would be conditional on the Russian president meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sky News’s US partner network NBC News reported.
It came days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face severe economic penalties, which could also target countries buying its oil.
Asked during a news conference at the White House if the talks would take place, Mr Trump said: “There’s a very good prospect that they will.”
He said it had not been determined where the talks would take place, but added: “We had some very good talks with President Putin today.”
However, he said: “I’ve been disappointed before with this one.”
Asked if Mr Putin made any kind of concession to lead to the development, Mr Trump did not give much away, but added: “We’ve been working on this a long time. There are thousands of young people dying, mostly soldiers, but also, you know, missiles being hit into Kyiv and other places.”
More tariffs ‘could happen’
Mr Trump also said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% he announced on India over its purchases of Russian oil.
“Could happen,” he said, after saying he expected to announce more secondary sanctions intended to pressure Russia into ending its war with Ukraine.
Earlier, he imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, on top of a previous 25% tariff, over its continued purchases of Russian oil.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the additional tariffs were “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
Vladimir Putin welcomes Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow. Pic: Sputnik/Reuters
It came after Mr Putin held talks with Mr Trump‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, with the meeting lasting around three hours.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Mr Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Mr Putin in which “great progress was made”.
He said he had updated America’s European allies, and they will work towards an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Correspondents in Washington and Moscow break down a busy day of diplomacy
‘The war must end’
Mr Zelenskyy later said he and Mr Trump spoke on the phone after the meeting. He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow”.
He added: “Our common position with our partners is absolutely clear: The war must end. We all need lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it started.”
Mr Zelenskyy later said: “It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire.”
He added that the pressure on Moscow “is working”, without elaborating, and stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not “deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement.
America’s vaccine-sceptic health secretary has announced $500m (£375.8m) worth of cuts to their development in the country.
The US health department is cancelling contracts and pulling funding for jabs to fight viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, it was announced on Tuesday.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, known as RFK Jr, said 22 projects developing mRNA vaccines will be halted. It is the latest in a series of decisions to reduce US vaccine programmes.
Read more: Who is Donald Trump’s health chief?
The health secretary has fired the panel that makes vaccine recommendations, reduced recommendations for COVID-19 shots, and refused to endorse vaccines despite a worsening measles outbreak.
RFK Jr claims the US will now prioritise “safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate”.
Responding to the announcement of cuts, Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, said: “I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Is US politics fuelling a deadly measles outbreak?
Dr Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said RFK Jr’s move was short-sighted and that mRNA vaccines “certainly saved millions of lives”, including during the pandemic.
MRNA vaccines work by delivering a snippet of genetic code into the body that triggers an immune response, rather than introducing a real version of the virus.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, the “leading advantage of mRNA vaccines is that they can be designed and produced more quickly than traditional vaccines”.
Moderna, which was studying a combo mRNA shot that can tackle COVID and flu for the US health department, previously said it believed mRNA could speed up production of flu jabs compared with traditional vaccines.
Read more from Sky News:
Harry criticises report into charity
Reeves told to find ‘substantial’ tax rises
A COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. File pic: PA
Scientists are also exploring how mRNA could be used in cancer immunotherapies and in other illnesses.
At the White House earlier this year, billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison praised mRNA for its potential to treat cancer.
RFK Jr touts ‘effective’ alternative
The health department said the abandoned mRNA projects signal a “shift in vaccine development priorities.”
“Let me be absolutely clear, HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them,” Mr Kennedy said in a statement.
Later, he said work is underway on an alternative – a “universal vaccine” that mimics “natural immunity”.
“It could be effective – we believe it’s going to be effective – against not only coronaviruses, but also flu,” he said.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike