Watch: In disturbing video, homeless man in US drowns in lake as cops refuse to ‘jump in’ to save him
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At the day of the incident, the police responded to a "reported disturbance" between the man and his partner near the artificial lake, the statement said. In the disturbing video, Sean Bickings, the man, went into the lake in front of the officers on May 28. Bickings can be seen climbing the fence and slowly vanishing in the lake
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In a bizarre incident caught on body cam of police, a 34-year-old homeless man can be seen drowning while three cops watched at Tempe Town Lake in the US state of Arizona, as per a video and transcript released to the public on Monday. In the disturbing video, Sean Bickings, the man, went into the lake in front of the officers on May 28. Bickings can be seen climbing the fence and slowly vanishing into the lake. The police officers can also be heard telling him that swimming is not allowed in the lake. But he continues to go for it under the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge. In the incident, multiple investigations have been launched. Till the results come in, the officers have been suspended, as per a statement by the city of Tempe.
At the day of the incident, the police responded to a "reported disturbance" between the man and his partner near the artificial lake, the statement said. In the footage released by the city, police officers can be seen speaking to his partner.
Three #TempePolice is placed on Administrative Leave after they refused to save #SeanBickings from drowning in the lake after the domestic violence call. pic.twitter.com/JkkpGR4F8Q
— Lions Den 🇺🇸 US FREEDMEN (@TherealLionsDen) June 7, 2022
Then, the video stops. The city has claimed the remainder is too "sensitive". And has released the transcript, where one of the officers, asked the man, "So what's your plan right now?"
"I'm going to drown. I'm going to drown," said Bickings. "No, you're not... go to the pylon and hold on," said another officer. "I can't. I can't," said Bickings. "Okay, I'm not jumping in after you," the second officer said.
The officers tell the homeless man to swim, as per the transcript. They also try to control his partner's increasingly frantic behaviour. "Can you hear me?" are the last words of Sean Bickings as per the transcript. Finally, a cop said that Bickings "hasn't surfaced in about 30 seconds."
Later, his body was recovered. In a statement issued by the city on Friday, Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching and Police Chief Jeff Glover said, the death of Bickings was a “tragedy."
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