CANTON, Ohio — Stark County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Stone will announce the results of a grand jury investigation into the death of Frank E. Tyson at the hands of Canton Police Department officers at a press conference on Saturday.
3News plans to stream the 12 p.m. briefing live in this story. You can also watch it on our YouTube channel.
CASE HISTORY
The encounter between the 53-year-old Tyson and police occurred on April 18 when two officers responded to an AMVETS Post on Sherrick Road Southeast. Canton police officials say Tyson ran there after crashing his car near the eastern limits of the city. Officers observed a power pole in the roadway that had been sheared in the wreck and found the vehicle nearby before being directed to the AMVETS, where Tyson was located.
In a release from April 19, police stated that Tyson struggled with the officers before they secured him, and that the officers noticed he was unresponsive "shortly after securing him in handcuffs." After performing CPR and administering multiple doses of Narcan, Tyson was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Canton police said it immediately contacted the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to conduct "an independent investigation of the incident."
On April 24, Canton police released body camera footage showing the death of Tyson while he was in police custody. The video included Tyson's last words "I can't breathe." In all, the 35-minute, 46-second video shows officers arriving to the scene, confronting Tyson, and attempting to take him into custody. One of the officers was seen putting his knee on Tyson's upper body for roughly 30 seconds. After Tyson's last words, the video also shows a period of five-plus minutes where he laid motionless on the floor before police checked for a pulse.
Canton police identified the officers involved as Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch of the department's traffic bureau. Both were placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy.
In August, while the BCI continued their investigation into the incident, the Stark County Coroner's Office ruled that the death of Tyson was a homicide.
Chief Investigator Harry Campbell said the autopsy showed two causes of death:
- Cardio Pulmonary Arrest in association with physical altercation and prone restraint.
- Ischemic Cardio Vascular Disease and acute intoxication by cocaine and ethanol.
The autopsy also listed obesity as a "significant condition" in Tyson's death.
BCI officials told 3News that the case was referred to the Stark County Prosecutor's Office for review on Aug. 30.
