Man Was Killed Unlawfully: “I Can’t Breathe”
A man who died in October 2016 after being restrained face-down by public transport workers was unlawfully killed according to a coroner. Jack Barnes who was 29 years old repeatedly said “ I can’t breathe” while he was held by public transport workers in Manchester.
In October 2016, the man from Hull was apprehended and restrained by four customer service representatives after an altercation at Manchester Victoria railway station. After that, he had a cardiac arrest. Although the man was transferred to the hospital, he died seven weeks later due to a severe hypoxic brain injury that is caused by a lack of flow of oxygen.
From bodycam footage, the court found that the former policeman was heard to say: “Right if you struggle I will put you to sleep. It won’t kill you. It won’t kill you, but you will go to sleep for a while.”
Transport for Greater Manchester chief executive, Eamonn Boylan, said: “This was a tragic and deeply upsetting incident and we have worked closely with both Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Coroner’s office to ensure the full facts surrounding Jack’s death were thoroughly investigated.”
“There were clear policies and training in place at the time of the incident, which those involved that evening completely disregarded.”
