Milwaukee County DA: 'Our office is reviewing Mr. Mitchell's death as a homicide case.'
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is investigating the death of D'Vontaye Mitchell, who died June 30 after being held face down by security guards outside the Hyatt Regency hotel, as a homicide.
Milwaukee-based civil rights attorney William Sulton met Wednesday morning with members of the district attorney's office, according to a statement by the district attorney's office. Sulton was given an update on the "ongoing police investigation" and was able to review video footage and other evidence related to the investigation.
"Our office is reviewing Mr. Mitchell’s death as a homicide case," said the statement. "We, along withpolice investigators, are currently awaiting the full results of an autopsy performedby the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office."
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's preliminary autopsy determined Mitchell's death was due to homicide.
The final autopsy results will inform the ongoing police investigation and allow the district attorney's office to "comprehensively evaluate the actions leading up to Mr. Mitchell’s death from theperspective of potential criminal liability," according to the statement.
"All aspects of these actions, including Mr. Mitchell’s death and the use of force by hotel personnel, will be closely examined," according to the statement.
The news comes two days after civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Sulton and B'Ivory Lamarr called for charges to be brought against the guards and a few hours before a protest was planned outside the district attorney's office Wednesday afternoon.
Mitchell, 43, died around 4 p.m. June 30 after allegedly entering the women's bathroom at the hotel, located at Milwaukee, 333 W. Kilbourn Ave. Crump said Mitchell was having a mental health crisis but no information has yet to be released by the Milwaukee Police Department.
The security guards involved in holding down Mitchell have been suspended, according to the Hyatt.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee DA reviewing man's death outside Hyatt as homicide case.
