Death of Colorado man who died during encounter with mental health team ruled homicide

Startling footage shows the moment a Colorado man suffering a mental health episode stopped moving while being restrained by a crisis response team in a death ruled a homicide Wednesday.

Kevin Dizmang’s death was ruled a homicide following the Jan. 6 autopsy report, lawyers for his family revealed Wednesday, almost three months after the 63-year-old died.

The report states Dizmang died in November due to cardiac arrest that occurred while he was being held down by a police officer and paramedic who are part of Colorado Springs’ mental health team.

While he had meth in his system and dealt with other health issues like obesity and asthma, five doctors agreed Dizman’s death was a homicide because of “the contribution of physical restraint to the cause of death,” according to the report.

Members of a mental health team were initially called on Nov. 15 when Dizmang was seen walking out into traffic. A police officer, paramedic from the city’s fire department and a mental health clinician responded to the scene, police previously said.

Footage from the scene, released by his family Wednesday, showed an officer ordering Dizmang to put his hands behind his back while in the street as others tried to stop traffic. He resisted the officer slapping cuffs on him, and he was eventually taken to the ground during a struggle, the footage shows.

After a first responder, identified as a paramedic by the family’s lawyer, started holding his arm around Dizmang’s upper body, the man, who was face down, shortly stopped moving, the footage indicates.

Once his body was turned over, others near him called on him to talk to them, but received no response.

“Talk to me brother,” one person said to Dizmang. “Talk to me, brother.”

Family attorney Harry Daniels alleged no one tried to immediately revive him and slammed the officer for treating the call like a crime from the start, instead of a mental health crisis.

“The people who came to help him are the people who ended up killing him,” Daniels said.

The case was turned over to prosecutors, who determined no criminal charges were warranted.

District attorney spokesperson Howard Black said the office found the actions of the officer and paramedic were justified.

Following the deadly incident, the officer and paramedic were placed on paid administrative leave, the Colorado Springs Police Department said. 

With Post wires