Video Shows Authorities Restraining Natasha McKenna in Cell Days Before Her Death
On Feb. 3, Natasha McKenna screamed out, "You promised me you won't kill me," and breathed heavily as authorities removed her from a cell at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Virginia to transport her to a different facility in Alexandria, newly released video reveals. McKenna, who was suffering from mental illness, died five days after this encounter with authorities.
The footage, lasting nearly 49 minutes, shows several workers at the facility surrounding McKenna while she was tased. She was then placed in a restraining chair and handcuffed. A nurse checked McKenna's vitals before she was transported to a garage.
In the garage, the nurse can be seen checking her pulse again after McKenna appears to have lost consciousness. Authorities then removed her from the restraining chair and were trying to resuscitate her before she was placed into an ambulance.
McKenna died at a nearby hospital a few days later.
The commonwealth attorney will not be seeking criminal charges against any of the facility authorities in her death. Additionally, the Sheriff's Office will be conducting an internal affairs investigation into the incident, including a review into its policies and procedures and crisis intervention training for their staff. The jail also banned stun guns in April.
"This tragic incident has been engraved in my mind from the day that it occurred," Sheriff Stacey Kincaid said in the beginning of the video. "Natasha McKenna did not die in vain, and there will be something good that comes of this tragedy and that is a better system that's going to be set up in terms of how we treat those with mental illness."
On Jan. 26, McKenna was arrested and charged with assaulting an Alexandria officer.
WARNING: FOOTAGE BELOW CONTAINS DISTURBING CONTENT.
Follow Natelege Whaley on Twitter: @Natelege_
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.
(Photo: Fairfax County Police)
