Following death of man restrained by police, body-cam footage released

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police released body camera footage Friday of a man who restrained by police and died less than an hour later.

Body-worn camera footage from nine officers involved in the confrontation has been released to the public while police continue to investigate the death. The man was identified as Nykon Brandon, 35.

Nearly a dozen officers responded to a 9-1-1 call on Aug. 14 that reported a man dressed in his underwear running inside a business and reportedly trying to steal beer. The man, later identified as Nykon Brandon, 35, was dead less than an hour after he was first confronted by police.

The caller also said the man had run out of the business and was acting strangely and violently and suggested there were likely mental health issues. The caller also said the man might be a danger to himself or others.

The 9-1-1 call was placed at 3:16 p.m., with Salt Lake City Police Department officers locating a man fitting the description on the call in the area of 365 W., 700 South at 3:22 p.m.

Video shows the first two officers in police cruisers who leave their vehicles and then confront Brandon who appears combative. Two officers take him to the ground and repeatedly tell him to stop, though he continues to struggle with officers. At one point a third officer reports that Brandon has a hand on an officer’s gun during police attempts to secure Brandon.

By design the first 30 seconds of the videos are silent, giving context to the full sound video that is started later with audio for permanent storage.

After continued minutes of struggle, at 3:25 p.m. officers report by radio that the suspect is in custody, generating a call for an ambulance. Brandon’s arms are restrained behind his back while he is face down in gravel, next to a street.

At 3:28 p.m. officers start performing medical aid to the man. Just before that, officers are seen and heard telling the man to relax and take deep breaths and offer to help him sit up if he will calm down.

All videos end at the start of first aid. Police reportedly administered multiple doses of Narcan, given to people overdosing on opioid drugs; the first was said to be given at 3:28 p.m.

According to a press release Friday from SLCPD, at 4:16 police were notified that Brandon died.

“The exact time of death is unknown,” Friday’s release said.

The 9-1-1 call, redacted to protect some information about the caller, can be listened to here: 9-1-1 call.

The nine body-worn cameras can be watched here. By design the first 30 seconds of each video are silent, as part of the design and operation of the video cameeras:
Body Worn Camera Video 1
Body Worn Camera Video 2
Body Worn Camera Video 3
Body Worn Camera Video 4
Body Worn Camera Video 5
Body Worn Camera Video 6
Body Worn Camera Video 7
Body Worn Camera Video 8
Body Worn Camera Video 9

Salt Lake City PD Chief Mike Brown released the following statement:

Our police officers come to work every day to protect our community. In the face of great stress, danger, and uncertainty, they are trained to remain professional and show strength and resiliency. We are committed to carefully reviewing the investigative findings in this case. As a forward-thinking department, we will use those findings to evaluate our policies, training, and procedures to continue ensuring we are making our city safer.

As is policy when police interactions lead to a death, the incident is under investigation by an outside agency and will also be examined by a separate internal affairs investigation.

The SLCPD use of force police and body-worn camera policy can be read below.

Use of Force Police SLCPD by LarryDCurtis on Scribd

SLCPD body-worn camera policy by LarryDCurtis on Scribd