Family holds vigil for Rhyker Earl after an incident that resulted in the death of an Indiana man who was handcuffed in DeMotte, Jasper County

JASPER COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — Dozens of people are honoring Rhyker Earl, just days after the release of body camera video showing him being restrained by first responders and pleading for help.

The Indiana man died earlier this month after being handcuffed in his home.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

His family says the reaction could and should have been different.

One of the last voices to speak with Rhyker Earl, his grandmother Sharon Krause-Earl, led a prayer in his memory Sunday evening.

“Our loved one, Rhyker Ryan Earl, has been called to your home,” Krause-Earl said.

She was one of dozens who gathered in Rennsalaer, Indiana, with hugs and tears, remembering the father of two just days after the Jasper County Sheriff's Office released body camera footage of his final moments alive.

READ MORE | Police are releasing bodycam video of an incident that led to the death of an Indiana man after he was handcuffed

Earlier this month, officers responded to Earl's home in DeMotte after he suffered a seizure. A few minutes into the encounter, officers handcuffed him to the ground and ordered him to remain calm as he pleaded for his life in front of his family.

The video then shows one of several shots of the administration of sedatives. The 26-year-old then became unconscious.

He died in hospital days later.

“Countless steps on September 8, 2024 could and should have gone completely differently!” said his aunt, Miracle Gawlinski.

His aunt described the deputy's removal as unfair while reading a written statement.

“The numbness we feel is overwhelming,” Gawlinski said. “There is rage and wrath that seeks justice…” Many of us, perhaps most of us, are awakened to the feeling that the personal helplessness that was the distant terror we read about in the daily newspaper is now becoming the terror that we experience in our own four walls.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office disputes some of the family's claims while Indiana State Police investigate.

The family says they plan to have further discussions with civil rights attorney Ben Crump during a news conference Monday morning.