Two Colorado police officers were arrested Tuesday after disturbing footage showed one of them repeatedly hitting an unarmed man on the head, choked him and threatened to shoot him. The man then bled from the head and begged for his life.The officer accused of failing stop her colleague using excessive force was also charged."You're killing my bro!" Kyle Vinson (29 years old) cried multiple times when Aurora police officer John Haubert pistol-whipped and slapped him repeatedly while trying to place Vinson in custody after a Friday afternoon trespassing report.Vinson was seen in graphic video with blood streaks running down his head. He cried out for air, gasping for breath, and Haubert shouted, "If I move, you will be shot."Vinson begged the officers to not hurt him. "Don't shoot at me, bro."Haubert, 39 years old, was charged with attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault, felony menace, official oppression and first degree official misconduct.In the interim, an internal affairs investigation has been expedited and the three-year-old veteran of Aurora's police department was placed on administrative leave.Officer Francine Martinez (a six-year veteran) was arrested on misdemeanor charges for failing to report the use of force by police officers. This is in accordance with a bill called "Police accountability Bill". It was passed following George Floyd's assassination last summer. She was placed on paid administrative leave. Authorities said both officers were released from jail.The Aurora police department released video footage from the incident Tuesday, with Vanessa Wilson, chief of police, criticizing the officers for their "very deplorable act".Wilson stated Tuesday at a press conference, "We are disgusted and we are angry." This is not police work. She said, "This is not police work."Continue the storyWilson apologized for Vinson's "horrific" acts and called him a victim. She stated that she was overcome with anger and tears when she saw the footage from her body camera.The chief stated, "This video will shock you conscience." It's extremely disturbing.Two officers responded to a call about trespassing Friday and encountered three men with outstanding arrest warrants. Vinson remained on the ground, despite Haubert's initial point of his gun at Vinson. Vinson fled the scene.Video shows Haubert attempting to arrest Vinson. Martinez repeatedly shouts that Vinson didn't have a warrant, and doesn't understand why he is being handcuffed.Wilson stated at the press conference that Wilson didn't believe Vinson knew he had an existing warrant. According to the AP, Vinson allegedly failed to submit to urine tests and did not receive treatment for court-ordered domestic abuse counseling. He also failed to report to probation meetings.Vinson is instructed by the officers to lie on his stomach, with his face to the ground. Haubert holds his gun against Vinson's head.Vinson tells the officers, "You guys have got the wrong guy."He yells, "Help, please!" before Haubert starts hitting his head with the gun during the struggle.Vinson begs for water after other officers arrive on the scene.He is heard saying, "I was fighting for my life man." "You guys beat me up."According to court documents obtained from the Associated Press, Haubert stated that he was planning to shoot the man but didn't know if he had a round in his gun.Vinson was found to have six stitches in his head and several large welts.Aurora's police chief called for peace and asked the community to not paint the police department as "broadbrush."The department has a history with excessive force allegations. This includes the August 2019 in-custody murder of Elijah McClain, 23 years old.McClain was a Black man who was put in a chokehold by officers and given ketamine to him while he was being arrested for "suspicious" behavior on his way home from the grocery store.Aurora police officers held a Black family hostage at gunpoint, handcuffed them facedown in a concrete parking lot and then mistook their car for stolen.Wilson tried to reassure the public that her department was focused upon reform and training, and that officers would be dismissed "if they continue to police this way."She said, "This was an exception." "And I'm just grateful Mr. Vinson lives," she said.Continue reading
