Milwaukee, WI
D’Vontaye Mitchell: Milwaukee hotel staff face murder charges in man's death
Four hotel employees who allegedly pinned a man to the ground after he behaved erratically in a Hyatt Regency lobby in the US state of Wisconsin are facing murder charges.
D’Vontaye Mitchell, 43, ran into a women’s bathroom before staff dragged him outside, beat him and held him face down on the ground for eight or nine minutes, according to court documents.
Mitchell was unresponsive when police arrived at the scene in Milwaukee on 30 June. He was later pronounced dead.
He died of “restraint asphyxia and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine”, found a post-mortem examination that also noted he was morbidly obese.
Milwaukee County district attorney’s office issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for the four now-former employees at the hotel.
They are two security guards, Todd Alan Erickson, 60, and Brandon LaDaniel Turner, 35, who was off duty at the time of the incident; as well as Devin Johnson-Carson, 23, a front desk agent; and Herbert Williamson, 53, a door attendant, according to court documents.
If convicted, they each would face up to 15 years and nine months in prison.
The incident unfolded when Mitchell entered the hotel and began running around, attempting to hide in places.
He went into the gift shop, then a women’s bathroom, where he tried to lock the door. Mr Turner told police he heard women screaming in the toilet.
Video surveillance footage showed hotel workers forcing him out of the bathroom and dragging him outside through the hotel lobby.
Two of them repeatedly struck Mitchell and another kicked him, according to the court documents. They are apparently heard in a bystander’s mobile phone footage telling him to “stay down” and “stop fighting”.
Mr Erickson told investigators that Mitchell had tried to bite him.
Mitchell is heard saying he is sorry during the struggle, according to audio from a video taken by an onlooker.
One of the employees said Mitchell was having difficulty breathing and had been pleading for help, according to the charge-sheet.
Ben Crump, a lawyer representing the family, said: “Mitchell was in the midst of a mental health crisis and, instead of abiding by their duty to protect and serve, the security officers and other Hyatt staff used excessive force that inflicted injury resulting in death.”
Mitchell’s widow, Deasia Harmon, told reporters on Tuesday she was “grateful” for the charges.
“I just want everyone to be held accountable,” she said.
The company that runs the hotel, Aimbridge Hospitality, has previously said several employees were fired over Mitchell’s death.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on early Sunday morning on the 4900 block of W. Capitol Drive that left one person injured.
An 18-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
TMJ4
The police is currently looking for an unknown suspect at this time.
Those with information regarding the shooting are encouraged to contact the Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips to remain anonymous.
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MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 11-year-old Sir’Charles Bason, a critically missing boy who was last seen near Teutonia and Kiley at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
Police described Bason as 4 feet, 5 inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black, low-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with green lines, dark-colored jeans, tan sandals and carrying gray Nike Jordan shoes.
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What you can do:
Anyone with information on Bason’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
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