10:40 p.m. ET, June 19, 2020
Police under investigation after Black British man shouted 'I can't breathe' during arrest
From CNN's Rob Picheta, Salma Abdelaziz and Samantha Tapfumaneyi
Simeon Francis
Family Handout
An investigation has been launched after video footage emerged Friday showing a Black man shouting "I can't breathe" while being arrested in Britain last year.
What happened? Simeon Francis was arrested in July 2019 in the British seaside town of Torquay and later released. He died 10 months later while in police custody after he was arrested again in May 2020.
On Friday, his family provided CNN with a 19-minute video of last year's arrest, which shows Francis being handled by at least 10 police officers -- with several of them pinning him to the ground. He is heard shouting "Get them off me, you racists!"
After about 13 minutes, still yelling, he is lifted by the officers and carried into a police van.
Francis also tells them he "can't breathe," a plea that echoes the one made by George Floyd during
his death in the United States in May, and which has become a slogan of demonstrators protesting against police brutality around the world.
It is unclear if Francis needed medical attention, why he was being arrested, or what led up to the incident, said Desmond Jaddoo, a community activist and representative for the family. Devon and Cornwall police have not responded to CNN's requests for comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Family claims excessive force: The family believes the video shows police used excessive force during the incident, Jaddoo said.
"This is nothing new in terms of the plight of Black people. And clearly these disproportionalities that exist need to be challenged and need to be questioned," he added. "And most importantly we need answers because a family is in mourning and that must never be forgotten."
Investigation: The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the UK's police watchdog, is investigating the case of Francis' death in police custody. A preliminary post-mortem examination did not identify a cause of death, the IOPC said in a statement.
Read the full story here.