Source: Ben Crump Law / Ben Crump Law
The funeral for Irvo Otieno is set to be held on Wednesday, more than three weeks after the 28-year-old Black man was allegedly killed in Virginia by seven police deputies and three hospital employees who were all indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges.
The funeral is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET and is slated to be held at the First Baptist Church in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield.
Keep reading to find out how to watch a live stream of the funeral online.
National Action Network (NAN) Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton is slated to deliver Otieno’s eulogy at the funeral, where the civil rights leader plans to call for reforms to how police and emergency workers respond to mental health crises.
According to a press release from NAN, Sharpton’s “eulogy will bring to light the need for independent monitors in matters of police misconduct in mental health cases.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been retained by Otieno’s family, is also expected to attend the funeral and is scheduled to deliver a call for justice.
Otieno’s family held a public viewing in Richmond on Tuesday.
First Baptist Church’s YouTube page will be broadcasting live from Otieno’s funeral on Wednesday. You can access First Baptist Church’s YouTube live-stream page by clicking here or by watching the embedded video below.
Local news outlet WTVR also said it would be streaming Otieno’s funeral live from its website. You can access WTVY’s live stream by clicking here.
What happened to Irvo Otieno?
Last week, surveillance video footage released by a prosecutor showed Otieno being pinned on the floor by multiple security guards. The incident occurred at a mental health hospital in Virginia prior to his death March 6.
Officials from the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth office also released a 911 phone call that offered more details into the harrowing incident. According to CNN, in the audio, a caller repeatedly asked for medical assistance after Otieno stopped breathing. They claimed he was “very aggressive” and combative prior to losing oxygen.
During the March 6 incident, Otieno was being transferred from a Henrico County jail to Central State Hospital, a Dinwiddie official said. According to family members, Otieno had a long-running history of mental health struggles. Initially, he was taken to a Richmond area hospital for psychiatric treatment March 3, but allegedly, he became violent and combative at the facility.
Otieno was criminally charged and transferred to jail where he was denied access to crucial medication for his condition, family members said.
The new footage that was released this week, officers could be seen carrying Otieno into the hospital from an SUV just before 4 p.m. on March 6.
Nearly 20 minutes after the SUV’s arrival, officers removed Otieno from the vehicle and forcefully escorted him inside. He was hunched over and appeared to be in distress.
Further along in the clip, a different camera showed Otieno being forcibly led into a room with tables and chairs. The officers pushed him toward a seat and eventually, he slumps down toward the floor.
Several officers then force Otieno to lie face down flat on the floor. At times, his body can barely be seen in the video due to the number of officers pinning him down to the ground with their weight.
During a bond hearing, defense attorneys for the indicted officials said they were only trying to restrain Otieno and that there was no evidence of an intent to kill the man in distress.
Otieno’s family has pushed back against their claims of innocence.
All 10 defendants have been granted bond and have pre-trial hearings set.
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