Video of the deadly encounter begins when Robinson is visibly distressed in his cell, and two officers walk into his cell.
Moments later, Robinson edges toward the cell’s door, prompting one of the correction officers to tackle him to the ground in a chokehold while the other officer helps subdue him.
The video has no audio, but attorneys say a supervisor encourages the officer to “choke him out.”
After a brief tussle, Robinson is seen lying nearly lifeless on the jail cell floor, while the officers handcuffed his wrists behind his back. Robison appears to go in and out of consciousness and, at one point, one of the officers checks his pulse and performs CPR.
An autopsy report from April said that “while lying handcuffed and prone on the jail floor, Robinson became unresponsive. There was a report of white foam coming from his mouth.”
Robinson was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The medical examiner’s office ruled Robinson’s death a homicide.
Sheriff’s deputies defended the correction officers’ response, saying Robinson had been violent and was trying to escape his cell, KFOR reported.
But attorneys for the Robinson family say the officers used excessive force on a man who simply needed medical attention.
“He died from being strangled to death right here in this jail cell. That is unacceptable,” Shabbazz said outside the Caddo County jail.
The unidentifed officers have been put on paid administrative leave.
District Attorney Office Jason Hicks and the Sheriff’s Office both declined to comment.
Hicks will be making a public statement next week, a spokesperson for his office said.
The Robinson family plans to file a federal lawsuit against the officers.They are being represented by Shabazz, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a leader in the New Black Panther Party.