In a distressing turn of events, a man lost his life while in police custody at a Dallas hospital back in 2022. Newly released bodycam footage revealed the harrowing moments leading to his demise. Kenneth Knotts, 41, tragically passed away after being denied water and restrained by several hospital officers, despite his desperate pleas of “I can’t breathe.”
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The incident unfolded following a routine traffic stop on November 29, 2022, when Knotts was taken by law enforcement to UT Southwestern Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. Family lawyer Geoff Henley condemned the handling of the situation, emphasizing that despite Knotts’ evident mental distress, lethal force was unnecessary to address a medical concern.
The footage depicted Knotts in evident agony as multiple officers from the UT Southwestern Medical Center Police Department pressed on his back, causing him to convulse before falling silent. Moments later, a medical staff member urgently declared the absence of a pulse, marking a critical escalation in the situation.
The release of the footage came after legal efforts by Henley, who obtained it through a subpoena from the city of Dallas. Despite this revelation, the hospital refused to disclose the identities of the officers involved and had previously withheld information regarding Knotts’ death.
An autopsy performed by the medical examiner concluded that the officers bore responsibility for Knotts’ demise. The examination revealed that he succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest due to being restrained in a “semi-prone position,” which was classified as a homicide. This determination contradicted previous statements from officials who claimed the cause of death was undetermined.
Prior to his encounter with law enforcement, Knotts had been traveling with his girlfriend and two young sons from his hometown of Austin. Upon reaching Dallas, a tire blowout prompted Knotts to express paranoid fears about the police. His behavior, described as erratic and combative, led to his apprehension by authorities for evaluation.
In a chilling moment captured on footage, he accurately predicted his imminent demise within minutes. “Don’t kill me,” he pleaded, as shown in the footage. “Don’t smother me.” Despite his pleas for assistance and requests for water and orange juice being denied by hospital staff, Knotts’ concerns were dismissed. The distressing footage captured him repeatedly begging for help and struggling to breathe as officers maintained their hold on him.
The tragic outcome of Knotts’ encounter with law enforcement echoes similar cases of police brutality, notably those of Eric Garner and George Floyd. Despite efforts to seek justice, a Dallas County grand jury declined to indict any of the involved officers or medical personnel, leaving Knotts’ family grappling with unanswered questions and profound loss.
