Charges have been dismissed against three Dallas police officers in connection with the death of an unarmed man who died in police custody in 2016.
Charges have been dismissed against three Dallas police officers in connection with the death of an unarmed man who died in police custody in 2016.
The Dallas County Attorney's Office announced Monday it had dismissed charges of misdemeanor deadly conduct against Dallas Police Sgt. Kevin Mansell as well as officers Danny Vasquez and Dustin Dillard.
Anthony Timpa, 32, called 911 for help while at an adult video store on West Mockingbird Lane on Aug. 10, 2016.
High on cocaine and panicked, Timpa ran out of the store and into traffic before being put in handcuffs by security guards. Dallas police officers arrived shortly after and placed him into their own handcuffs. Within an hour he was dead.
A Dallas County medical examiner ruled Timpa's death a homicide, "due to the toxic effects of cocaine and physiologic stress associated with physical restraint."
The officers said they restrained Timpa to keep him from running into the street.
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On Monday, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot's office said he had met with all three medical examiners who testified before the grand jury about their findings. Creuzot's office said all three stated they did not believe the officers acted recklessly and that they cannot, and will not, testify to the elements of the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.
Creuzot met with family members and their attorney last week to inform them of the decision to not move forward with the case.
Now that the criminal charges have been dropped, a federal lawsuit for civil rights violations can proceed. The suit, filed by Timpa's family in late 2016, alleges Dallas officers used excessive deadly force against him. An updated version named six people as defendants, plus Criminal Investigative Unit, LLC.
As of late Monday, all three DPD officers cleared of criminal wrongdoing were still on administrative leave.
NBC 5 media partner The Dallas Morning News obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed by Timpa's family, detailing what the body cam footage showed.
