Irvo Otieno GoFundMe raises more than $7,800 as 10 charged in horrific murder on video

On March 6, 2023, seven Virginia deputies allegedly killed an African-American man named Irvo Otieno while he was being transferred to a mental health facility. They have been charged with second-degree murder as well.

According to prosecutors, Irvo was fatally “smothered” by the deputies. A 12-minute long video of the entire incident has been obtained. Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said that the incident was “extremely alarming.”

A GoFundMe campaign was initiated on March 8, 2023, to raise funds to provide some financial assistance to Irvo Otieno’s family. It had aimed to raise $100,000 and has already raised over $8,000, and as of writing, more than 150 donors have donated to the cause.

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A video capturing the incident that led to Irvo Otieno’s death has been described as “traumatic and disturbing”

28-year-old Irvo Otieno died of suffocation on March 6, when he was in the custody of seven deputies. The officers have been identified as Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43; Randy Joseph Boyer, 57; Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48; and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30.

They currently face second-degree murder charges in connection to Irvo’s death. Prosecutors also added that three hospital workers will also face the same charges. According to preliminary reports, medical examiners claimed that Irvo Otieno died of asphyxiation. Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill told CNN that they have obtained a 12-minute-long hospital surveillance video that reportedly shows law enforcement officers fatally smothering him. Baskervill addressed the video and said,

“They smothered him to death. He died of asphyxia due to being smothered. [The incident captured] is extremely clear, extremely alarming. [The video shows] deliberate and cruel treatment.”

A lawyer representing Irvo’s family further described his death as being of a “brutal nature.” Well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump viewed the footage along with Otieno’s family. Crump said,

“[Mr. Otieno was] restrained so brutally with a knee on his neck, the weight of seven individuals on his body while he is face-down, handcuffed.”

Crump further mentioned that Otieno was in a state between lifelessness and unconsciousness. He also compared Irvo Otieno’s death to that of George Floyd, who was also handcuffed and held to the ground in May 2020.

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Otieno’s family believes that he was murdered by the deputies and was treated terribly

Baskervill mentioned that the 12-minute-long video could be used as a strong piece of evidence to get justice for Irvo Otieno. Both Ben Crump and Otieno’s mother, Caroline Ouko, mentioned that the 28-year-old was having a mental health crisis since he couldn’t take his medication after being arrested. Crump continued,

“He wasn’t committing a crime.”

As has been mentioned above, a GoFundMe campaign has been initiated by Irvo Otieno’s brother, Leon Ochieng. In the fundraiser post, Leon wrote,

“He was treated inhumanely before his right to breathe was compounded away by 7 officers and additional state hospital staff. Irvo did not put up a fight, he was in handcuffs and leg shackles, weak, tired, and yet they still used excessive force to kill him.”

After viewing the unsettling footage, Irvo’s family expressed shock and were horrified. His mother claimed that he was “treated like a dog”, and that her son was murdered. Baskervill stated that the incident was nothing but a “demonstration of power that is unlawful.”