Killing of Tony Timpa

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Killing of Tony Timpa
Tony Timpa restraint.png
Frame from police body camera showing Timpa being held to the ground
DateAugust 10, 2016;9 years ago (2016-08-10)
Location Dallas, Texas, US
Type Homicide, police brutality
ParticipantsDustin Dillard
Kevin Mansell, Danny Vasquez (other officers)
DeathsAnthony "Tony" Allen Timpa, aged 32
ChargesNone
LitigationThree officers found liable, Timpa's son awarded $1 million for wrongful death

On August 10, 2016, Anthony "Tony" Allen Timpa, a 32-year-old, unarmed white man, was killed in Dallas, Texas by police officer Dustin Dillard. Officers had responded to a call by Timpa requesting aid for a mental breakdown due to the fact that he had not taken his prescription medication for schizophrenia and depression. Dillard pushed his body weight onto Timpa on the ground for around 14 minutes after he was already restrained, and officers ignored pleas from Timpa that he was in pain and was afraid he was going to die. Timpa's death was ruled a homicide due to "the stress of being restrained and extreme physical exertion" and toxic effects of previous cocaine use. [1]

Contents

No criminal charges have been filed, but in 2021, a judge ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Timpa's family had merit and could go to trial. The civil trial concluded in September 2023, with the jury awarding Timpa's son $1 million. [2]

Background

Timpa was a 32-year-old American trucking company executive from Rockwall, Texas. [3] He had called 9-1-1 for aid, telling the dispatcher that he had schizophrenia and depression but had not taken his prescription medication. [4] He also stated that he had taken cocaine. [5]

According to an autopsy conducted three days after Timpa's death, he had 0.647 milligrams per litre of cocaine in his body. The chief medical examiner of Dallas County described it as a significant amount. [2]

Incident

Timpa had already been handcuffed by a security guard when a group of officers arrived. They restrained him on the ground while he squirmed, repeatedly crying out, "You're gonna kill me!" After he fell unconscious, the officers joked about the situation and mocked Timpa. One officer remarked, “Is he asleep?”, and an officer made comments about waking up for breakfast and going to school in the morning. The officers did not check for signs of life before the arrival of paramedics. [6] They kept him prone on grass for nearly 14 minutes and zip-tied his legs together, one pressing his knee into Timpa's back. One of the paramedics called to the scene administered the sedative Versed. The responders loaded Timpa's body onto a gurney, one exclaiming, "He didn’t just die down there, did he?" Timpa died within 20 minutes of police officers' arrival due to "cocaine and the stress associated with physical restraint," according to his autopsy. [7]

It took over three years for footage of the incident to be released. The footage contradicted claims by Dallas Police that Timpa was aggressive. [8] [9] The officers involved were Sgt. Kevin Mansell and Officers Danny Vasquez and Dustin Dillard. [10] Criminal charges against three officers were dropped in March 2019 and they returned to active duty. [11] An excessive force civil lawsuit against the officers was dismissed by U. S. District Judge David C. Godbey in July 2020 on the basis of qualified immunity. [12] [13]

On December 15, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision reversing the trial court decision giving the officers qualified immunity, which means the Timpa family won the right to go to trial in their case against Dillard. [14] [15]

In September 2023, a jury found three officers liable for Timpa's wrongful death, awarding Timpa's son $1 million. [16] The officers' lawyers had argued that the cocaine content in Timpa's system was what killed him. [17] The Timpa family's lawyers had argued for hundreds of millions of dollars to be given to the Timpa estate, Timpa's parents, and Timpa's son. [16] Two jurors later said they regretted not giving Timpa's family more in damages. [18]

Reactions

Timpa's death came to prominence in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, who died in a similar way. [19] When Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering Floyd, a number of commentators drew comparisons between Floyd and Timpa. Ryan Mills, writing in the National Review , claimed that "There was no national uproar after Timpa's death. No national cries for justice and reform. "Mills also said "there was more community pressure" in the Floyd case. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Tony Timpa autopsy report". Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Osibamowo, Toluwani (September 27, 2023). "Federal jury awards $1 million to Tony Timpa's son, finds 3 Dallas police officers liable for his death". KERA News. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ Bonvillian, Crystal (August 1, 2019). "'You're gonna kill me': Body cameras show man's death at hands of Dallas cops". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ Donaghue, Erin (August 1, 2019). "Tony Timpa death: Disturbing video shows Dallas police officers joking as they restrain man who died". CBS News. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  5. ↑ New, Brian (September 18, 2023). "I-Team: 7 years after dying in police custody, civil trial starts in the death of Tony Timpa". CBS Texas. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  6. ↑ RAW VIDEO: Officer Dustin Dillard's bodycam shows in-custody death of Tony Timpa, August 2, 2019, archived from the original on April 5, 2022, retrieved April 5, 2022
  7. ↑ Aspinwall, Cary; Boucher, Dave (June 22, 2020). "'You're gonna kill me!': Dallas police body cam footage reveals the final minutes of Tony Timpa's life". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ Theibault, Reis (July 31, 2019). "Police laughed and joked as he lost consciousness in handcuffs. Minutes later, he died". The Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Cops Caught Joking as Man Dies in Their Custody | NowThis". Youtube. NowThis News. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Charges against 3 Dallas officers dropped in arrest death". AP News. March 19, 2019. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Family Discusses Video Showing 2016 DPD Arrest, Man's Death". NBC DFW. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  12. ↑ Krause, Kevin (July 7, 2020). "Federal judge tosses excessive force suit against five Dallas officers in Tony Timpa case". The Dallas Morning News . Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Mills, Ryan (May 6, 2021). "Tony Timpa Suffered the Same Fate as George Floyd — But Received None of the Attention". National Review . Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  14. ↑ Schwartz, Joanna C. (December 29, 2021). "He died after a cop kneeled on his neck for 14 minutes. Now, his family can finally sue". USA Today. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Timpa v. Dillard, No. 20-10876 (5th Cir. 2021)
  16. 1 2 Osibamowo, Toluwani (September 27, 2023). "Federal jury awards $1 million to Tony Timpa's son, finds 3 Dallas police officers liable for his death". KERA News. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ Binion, Billy (September 27, 2023). "Tony Timpa wrongful death trial ends with 2 out of 3 cops getting qualified immunity". Reason. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  18. ↑ Smith, Kelli (October 2, 2023). "2 jurors say they failed Tony Timpa in verdict for Dallas cops: 'I should have done more'". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  19. ↑ Miller, Trace (June 1, 2020). "'This Rage That You Hear Is Real': On the Ground at the Dallas Protests". D Magazine . Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
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