Three police officers have been suspended and an investigation launched by US authorities after the death of a homeless man. On May 28, officers went at dawn near an artificial lake in Tempe, Arizona. They were called for “uproar” caused by a couple. Officers first interview the woman, before heading to her companion Sean Bickings, 34, “homeless” according to the city’s statement.
According to the images released by the authorities, after a few minutes, Sean Bickings climbs over the railing which separates him from the lake and descends towards the surface of the water. The agents tell him that he is not allowed to swim in the lake, but the 30-something starts swimming all the same towards an area under a bridge.
“I’m not going to jump after you”
The images are then interrupted, the city judging the rest of the video too “sensitive”, then providing a transcription of the comments made. “What are you going to do now?” asks an agent. ” I am going to drown. I’m going to drown,” says Sean Bickings, according to the transcript. “No, no,” replies the agent.
A second policeman then asks the man in distress to swim to the pylon of the bridge and hang on to it. “I can’t, I can’t,” says Sean Bickings. “Okay, I’m not going to jump after you,” says the second agent. According to the rest of the transcript, the officers continue to insist that the homeless man fend for himself, while rebuffing his partner’s efforts to beg them for help. ” You hear me ? are the last words attributed to Sean Bickings. Later, one of the officers noted that he “hasn’t surfaced for about 30 seconds”. His body will be fished out at the end of the morning.