ًASHINGTON DC — A homeless man drowned in the
US state
of Arizona while three police officers watched, according to a video and
transcript released to the public on Monday.
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The officers have been suspended pending the results of
multiple investigations into the incident, according to a statement by the city
of Tempe.
On May 28, police responded to a "reported
disturbance" between the man, 34-year-old Sean Bickings, and his partner,
who were near an artificial lake, the statement said.
Video footage released by the city shows officers speaking
to his partner, then Bickings, who after a few minutes climbs over a fence and
slowly wades into the lake.
The officers tell him
swimming in the lake is not allowed,
but he continues to swim out and under a pedestrian bridge.
The video then stops, with the city claiming the remainder
is too "sensitive" and instead offers a transcript of the audio.
"So what's your plan right now?" asks one of the
officers, according to the transcript.
"I'm going to drown. I'm going to drown," said
Bickings.
"No, you're not. ... Go to the pylon and hold on,"
another officer responds.
"I can't. I can't" said Bickings.
"Okay, I'm not jumping in after you," said the
second officer.
According to the transcript, the officers again tell the
homeless man to swim, while trying to control his partner's increasingly
frantic behavior.
"Can you hear me?" are the last words attributed
to Sean Bickings in the transcript.
One of the police officers later notes that Bickings
"hasn't surfaced in about 30 seconds."
His body was later recovered.
The city said it intends to make more videos from the
officers and cameras in the area public in the coming days.
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