Office of New York Attorney General releases police body camera footage concerning man who died after encounter with police during a mental health check

ONEIDA COUNTY- The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has released body camera footage concerning the investigation into the death of Matthew Brown, who died towards the end of last month following a March 24 encounter with members of the New York State Police near Barneveld, NY.

As previously reported, Troopers responded to a 9-1-1 call on the Sand Ridge Road for a man who was behaving erratically. 

According to the Attorney General's Office, police talked with Mr. Brown and attempted to take him into custody for a mental health evaluation, but a struggle ensued and Mr. Brown was forced to the ground and handcuffed.

The Troopers called for an ambulance, but Mr. Brown became unresponsive before the ambulance arrived.

Mr. Brown was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 1:00 a.m. on March 25. 

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office has subsequently released footage from body-worn cameras (***Warning: These videos contain content that viewers may find disturbing; viewer discretion is advised***) that Troopers were equipped with during the incident.

The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Image via the New York Attorney General's Office.