Hotel operator fires ‘hotel associates’ involved in the death of Black man pinned to the ground

By Alisha Ebrahimji and Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — Hotel employees have been fired following the death last month of a Black man after he was pinned down by hotel security guards outside a Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee in an incident partially captured by witness video.

“The conduct we saw from several associates on June 30 violated our policies and procedures, and does not reflect our values as an organization or the behaviors we expect from our associates,” Aimbridge Hospitality, which operates the downtown hotel, said Thursday in a statement about the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell.

“Following review of their actions, their employment has been terminated,” the statement added. “We will continue our independent investigation and do everything we can to support law enforcement with their investigation into this tragic incident.”

It’s unclear how many “hotel associates” were fired and if they include the security guards involved in the Mitchell incident. Those security guards initially were suspended as Aimbridge Hospitality completed its investigation, a Hyatt spokesperson told CNN on Monday.

Police have referred four charges of felony murder in Mitchell’s death, a police spokesperson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Police have been in consultation with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office since July 5 and have subsequently referred the charges but the DA’s office has not yet made a decision, Sgt. Efrain Cornejo told the Journal Sentinel.

CNN has reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department and the DA’s office for additional information.

Mitchell, 43, was at the Hyatt Regency on June 30, when police allege he “caused a disturbance,” prompting security guards to escort him out of the hotel, according to a statement from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Mitchell family. Security guards and others then pinned Mitchell to the ground, part of a video posted on social media shows. Mitchell grunts and pleads with the guards, repeatedly saying “please” and “I’m sorry,” it shows.

One guard, who appears to be White, can be heard saying, “Stay down,” and “Stop fighting,” as the others, who appear to be people of color, hold Mitchell down, the video shows. The same guard calls out to witnesses, “This is what happens when you go into the ladies room.”

When police arrived, Mitchell was unresponsive and pronounced dead despite lifesaving measures, Milwaukee Police told CNN on Tuesday without mentioning Mitchell by name. It’s unclear what led up to Mitchell’s encounter with the security guards, how long it took officers to arrive on the scene, and what Mitchell was doing at the hotel.

The encounter comes as the use of force – particularly against people of color – by police and others in authority roles remains under scrutiny nearly four years after protests flared nationwide following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

“The decision to fire the Hyatt security personnel highlights how unjustified D’Vontaye’s death truly was,” Crump said Thursday in a statement. “After viewing the video from inside the hotel with the DA’s office, it is completely understandable and appropriate that these personnel have been fired for their assault, battery, and excessive force on D’Vontaye, which led to his death.”

‘Your daddy was somebody,’ Sharpton says in eulogy

“Today, D’Vontaye’s family will bury him with a heavy heart, and while his family will never be able to bring him back, today is about honoring and remembering the man he was,” Crump said in a statement prior to the funeral.

During Mitchell’s funeral Thursday, family members approached the lectern to honor his life while reminiscing on shared memories and what they loved about him – while continuing to push for justice in his name.

Mitchell was known for his creativity in the kitchen and was a lover of anything artistic, according to his obituary, which was read during Thursday’s funeral.

“D’Vontaye was an avid family man who filled his time visiting his kids and family, and he lit up every face with joy when he entered the room,” it continued.

The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy in which he offered to pay for Mitchell’s funeral before pledging $5,000 to each of Mitchell’s children for their education.

“I want them (Mitchell’s children) to know I, and people, will tell you later in life about your daddy, but I want you to know your daddy was somebody,” Sharpton said.

While Sharpton said the firing of hotel employees was a good move, it’s not enough to bring justice for Mitchell’s loved ones.

“I thought after George Floyd and we fought till three cops went to jail, I thought y’all learned you can’t put your knees on our necks,” Sharpton said.

A homicide investigation is underway

Hyatt has joined Mitchell’s family “in their calls for transparency, accountability and justice for this senseless tragedy,” the hotel chain said Wednesday, adding criminal charges should be filed against the Aimbridge Hospitality employees involved.

The local prosecutor is investigating Mitchell’s death as a homicide, he said Wednesday, but Milwaukee Police were not considering the incident as a criminal investigation because there wasn’t any evidence of “blunt force,” Crump has said.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office is awaiting the full results of Mitchell’s autopsy, which “will inform the ongoing police investigation into” his death and “allow our office to comprehensively evaluate the actions leading up to” his death “from the perspective of potential criminal liability,” District Attorney John Chisholm said Wednesday in a statement.

Crump’s office obtained an affidavit from an unidentified hotel employee who claimed he reluctantly helped hold down Mitchell after being ordered to do so by a security guard, the attorney said. Crump said he would turn the document over to prosecutors but did not release it publicly.

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