Jonathan Sanders, a 39-year-old black man from Stonewall, Mississippi, died on June 8 at the hands of a local police officer who placed him in a chokehold, according to family lawyers.
Now lawyers for the Sanders family and members of the community are calling for the police officer they believe is responsible for his death to be held accountable.
On Wednesday, a preliminary autopsy carried out by the Clarke County Coroner ruled that Sanders' death was a homicide, caused by asphyxiation according to a report from The Guardian.
Jonathan Sanders was choked to death by a cop in Mississippi while saying "Let me go, I can't breathe," says attorney http://t.co/zBRXvIvXVB— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) July 10, 2015
"The community and the attorneys for Jonathan Sanders feel that this is enough to establish probable cause exists with which to indict Officer [Kevin] Herrington," the attorneys for the Sanders family, C.J. Lawrence and Chokwe Antar Lumumba, wrote in a press release, reported in the Jackson Free Press on Thursday.
As the Guardian first reported last week, Sanders' family lawyers allege that he died after a Stonewall police officer stopped him and attempted to take him into custody.
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who is representing the Sanders family, told Mashable that three different witnesses to the incident recounted hearing him say "I can't breathe" as he was allegedly placed in a chokehold by Herrington.
Sanders was out around 10 p.m. driving a horse and buggy in Stonewall, Mississippi, when Officer Herrington, who is white, stopped him in a residential neighborhood. According to Lumumba, who cited witness testimony, Sanders was thrown from the buggy. When he attempted to go after it, Herrington allegedly yanked him back and "held him in a headlock" for up to 20 minutes.
Lumumba was present when the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told the Sanders family that the preliminary autopsy rules Sanders' death a homicide. He said relatives believe Herrington is at fault in Sanders' death.
A funeral for Sanders is planned for Saturday in nearby Quitman, Mississippi. Herrington has not yet been charged with a crime.
"If the circumstances were reversed and it was Jonathan that strangled the officer to death he would certainly be in jail," said Lumumba. "If the situation were reversed, this case would be in a different stage at this time."
Mashable has reached out to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation for comment on their involvement in the case, but the agency has yet to respond. The Stonewall Police Department could not be reached for comment.
Herrington's lawyer, Bill Ready Jr., told the AP on Thursday that the 25-year-old officer stopped Sanders on suspicion that he had drugs and that Sanders resisted arrest in a physical struggle.
"There's always another version of what truly happened," Ready said. "I think we need to all wait until MBI finishes its investigation."
1 year after #EricGarner’s killing, #JonathanSanders death "caused by manual asphyxiation” http://t.co/sH5KttkxnS pic.twitter.com/strbFGcAzY— SPLC (@splcenter) July 17, 2015
His death hearkens back to several other incidents of police brutality against minorities in recent months -- but bears striking similarity to the chokehold death of Eric Garner at the hands of police officers in New York last year.
Sanders' supporters are organizing a rally on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Stonewall to demonstrate against police brutality.
#JusticeforJonathan Rally Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in StoneWall, MS #JonathanSanders in solidarity with #KindraChapman #SandraBland #ICantBreathe— YoungGifted&Black✊ (@CJLawrenceEsq) July 17, 2015
Some information from the Associated Press.