‘I CAN’T BREATHE’

Three Youth Facility Workers Charged in Death of Black Teen Restrained for Throwing a Sandwich

The boy died two days after being restrained for throwing a sandwich in the youth facility’s cafeteria.

Three staff members at an academy for children with behavioral issues have been charged in the death of a Black teenager who was restrained for throwing a sandwich. The three Lakeside Academy staffers, Heather McLogan, Michael Mosley, and Zachary Solis, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse. Cornelius Fredericks’ death was ruled a homicide by “restraint asphyxia.” Fredericks, 16, threw a sandwich in the cafeteria of the Kalamazoo, Michigan youth facility on April 29, leading three staff members to attempt to restrain him. One sat on the teen’s chest for about 12 minutes despite his statement that he “couldn’t breathe,” according to an investigation from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The report said that it was another 12 minutes before the staff members sought medical attention, and Fredericks became unconscious and died two days later.