3 charged over killing of Black teenager who reportedly cried out 'I can't breathe' while being restrained at Michigan facility for 'at-risk youth'

• Three former employees at Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick.
• Frederick died May 1 after being restrained for 12 minutes, according to prosecutors. The incident reportedly took place after he threw a sandwich in the cafeteria.
• "In my opinion, the complications of him being restrained, on the ground in a supine position by multiple people, is ultimately what led to his death," Dr. Ted Brown of the Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday.
• At least 25 students ran away from the facility after Frederick was killed.

Three staff members at a Michigan youth facility have been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of a Black teenager who reportedly yelled "I can't breathe" before going into cardiac arrest.

The death of Cornelius Frederick, 16, was officially ruled a homicide Wednesday afternoon, with Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting announcing charges hours later.

Frederick died May 1, a few days after staff at the Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo placed their weight on his chest, causing him to lose consciousness on April 29, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by his aunt, the Associated Press reported.

"Cornelius's scream of 'I can't breathe' was not enough to get the staff members to stop the excessive restraint," according to the lawsuit, which states that another child detained at the facility heard the incident unfold.

His family is seeking $100 million in a civil suit.

Video footage shows that Frederick was restrained for a full 12 minutes, according to the state, as MLive reported. It took another 12 minutes before anyone to begin CPR or call the police, who say that Fredericks was being disciplined for throwing a sandwich in the cafeteria. Seven staff members were involved in the incident.

Sequel Youth and Family Services, which ran Lakeside Academy, a facility for "at-risk youth," said 11 people have since been "separated from the organization," per MLive. The school, a state-licensed facility, "focuses on the confrontation and redirection of negative behavior while recognizing desired, positive behavior," according to its website.

"We cannot comment on pending legal matters. That said, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Cornelius and acted quickly to terminate all staff involved," Sequel Youth and Family Services told MLive in a statement. "Additionally, we have removed the former executive director of Lakeside from the organization. We have been in regular contact with law enforcement and state officials to help ensure justice is served and have accelerated the work that was already underway across our organization to move to a restraint-free model of care. We take our obligation to meet the significant behavioral health needs of all our students incredibly seriously and remain focused on our mission of providing the absolute best care and treatment possible for our clients."

On Wednesday, Dr. Ted Brown of the Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner's Office said that an autopsy revealed Fredericks died due to a lack of oxygen and blood flow.

"In my opinion, the complications of him being restrained, on the ground in a supine position by multiple people, is ultimately what led to his death," Brown told MLive.

After Frederick was killed, at least 25 students ran away from the facility.

Three employees, Michael Mosley, Zachary Solis, and Heather McLogan were charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death. Mosley and Solis allegedly restrained Frederick while McLogan, a nurse, allegedly failed to provide medical care, according to the prosecutor.

Frederick's family had been pressing for murder charges.

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