Indianapolis Officers Stand Trial in 2022 Death of Herman Whitfield III
The trial examines the actions of two officers charged with involuntary manslaughter and other offenses after Whitfield died during a mental health crisis.
- Herman Whitfield III, a 39-year-old Black man and gifted pianist, died on April 25, 2022, after being restrained face-down by Indianapolis police officers during a mental health crisis.
- Officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez face charges including reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and battery after a grand jury indictment in 2023.
- Body camera footage shows Whitfield being tased, restrained, and repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe before becoming unresponsive; his death was ruled a homicide by the Marion County Coroner's Office.
- Whitfield's death prompted calls for police accountability and changes to mental health crisis response, leading Indianapolis to implement a program dispatching licensed clinicians for certain 911 calls.
- A civil lawsuit filed by Whitfield's family alleges excessive force and seeks damages, with a federal trial scheduled for July 2025.
Associated Press 