Family calls for release of body cam footage of late Rhyker Earl being handcuffed during seizure

DEMOTTE, Ind. (WLS) -- An Indiana family demanding answers from law enforcement after a young father's call for help ended in his death.

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On Sept. 8, Rhyker Earl's grandmother called police because he was suffering from his second seizure that day. Earl had been previously diagnosed with epilepsy.

When Jasper County deputies and paramedics responded to his home on Bahama Drive at the Island Grove mobile home park in DeMotte, instead of help, his aunt says her family received long-lasting heartache after he was handcuffed and pinned to the floor.

She said he cried out "I can't breathe."

"It just was the most horrific thing I've ever been through in my life," Earl's grandmother Sharon Krause-Earl said.

After the ordeal, the 26-year-old was placed on life support and died two days later.

Famed Civil Rights Lawyer Ben Crump joined their legal fight to accuse police of using excessive force.

"To this day, I regret calling the ambulance," Earl's grandmother said. "I don't know if we would ever call an ambulance again, because there was no justice for Rhyker."

"When they say, I can't breathe and end up dying in police custody, I vow that we are going to get the truth of what happened," Crump said.

Crump called on police to release the body cam video of the incident.

READ ALSO | Sheriff responds to 'misleading claims' after Rhyker Earl dies after being handcuffed during seizure

Last week, Jasper County Sherriff Pat Williamson issued a statement claiming to clarify some of the events that happened on Sept. 8.

Sheriff Williamson said when he reviewed the body cam footage, Earl was "forcefully banging his head on the floor." At which time deputies asked the family for a pillow to prevent self-harm.

"His head was lying on the pillow; his breathing was not restricted," he said.

Jasper County Sheriff's Office said they plan to release the bodycam footage once they are cleared to do so.

The Lake County, Indiana coroner is dealing with the cause of death, which they say, is still pending.

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