close
close

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office is releasing bodycam video of the incident that resulted in the death of Rhyker Earl, who was handcuffed after suffering a seizure

JASPER COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — The Jasper County Sheriff's Office released body camera video of the incident that led to Rhyker Earl's death with what it said was permission from the Indiana State Police, which is conducting an independent investigation.

The sheriff's office said it is not trying to draw conclusions about the actions of those involved in the incident while the State Police investigation continues.

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

The approximately 45-minute footage consists of four different videos. It begins with Jasper County deputies entering Earl's home in DeMotte on the night of September 8th.

The 26-year-old's grandmother called 911 after Earl suffered a seizure.

READ MORE: Father dies after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by Jasper County officers during seizure: family

Once inside, the father of two can be seen in the video trying to put on a shirt and telling first responders to leave him alone while his grandmother tells him to sit down. Then she speaks to a deputy.

“What’s the problem?” asks the deputy.

“He has epileptic seizures,” replies his grandmother.

Shortly after this conversation, almost two minutes into the encounter, a deputy storms into another room.

“Hey! “Don’t touch the paramedics (expletive)!” the deputy shouts. “You’re going to the hospital! Understood? Don't hit her (expletive)! You don't hit her (expletive)! Do you understand?”

“Get on the ground,” the deputy then says as they argue. “Put your hands behind your back!”

RELATED: Sheriff responds to 'misleading claims' after Rhyker Earl dies after being handcuffed during seizure

From that point on, the deputies placed the Earl on the ground in handcuffs. In the video, you can see a deputy put his hand on Earl's head and another deputy hold his boot to Earl's body to restrain him.

You can also observe responding officers using a syringe to administer what appears to be medication.

In the video, Earl can be seen being handcuffed, even though he is shirtless, pleading with officers and paramedics.

“Hey Rhyker, if you just relax you’ll be fine,” a deputy says.

“Please don’t take me,” he replies.

“Just calm down,” the deputy says.

“I'm going to die!” says Earl.

“You won’t die,” the deputy replies. “We’re trying to help you.”

Paramedics can be seen in the video repeatedly telling Earl to breathe and stay calm.

“Take a breath, let’s go,” says one.

Family officials claimed Earl pinned him to the ground and restricted his breathing.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office disputes this claim, saying Earl's breathing was never restricted and that they merely placed his head on a pillow to prevent him from violently hitting his head on the ground.

In another perspective, his grandmother tries to calm Earl down.

“Rhyker, Grandma is right here,” she tells him. “They’re trying to help you.”

ABC7 does not show the moment Earl loses consciousness and paramedics perform CPR.

He was taken to hospital where he was on life support for two days before he died.

The Lake County, Indiana, coroner said Earl's cause of death remains undetermined.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.