Hotel workers in Milwaukee fired after death of black man held on ground

Several employees were involved in the death of a black man who nailed to the ground outside a Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee were laid off, the company that operates the hotel said.

Family members of D’Vontaye Mitchell and their lawyers verified hotel surveillance video The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office released a report Wednesday describing how Mitchell was chased into the hotel by security guards and then dragged outside and beaten.

“The conduct of several employees on June 30 violated our policies and procedures and does not reflect our values ​​as an organization or the behavior we expect from our employees,” an Aimbridge Hospitality spokesperson said in an email. “After reviewing their actions, their employment has been terminated. We will continue our independent investigation and do everything we can to assist law enforcement in their investigation of this tragic incident.”

The spokesman did not comment on the number of employees laid off or their positions.

Mitchell, 43, was found lying on his stomach outside the hotel, media reported. Police said he entered the hotel, caused a disturbance and fought with guards as they escorted him out.

The medical examiner has ruled the cause of death as homicide, but the cause of death is still under investigation. No charges have been filed against anyone so far.

The prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that it and police investigators were awaiting the results of the full autopsy and that the case was being investigated as a murder case.

Mitchell’s funeral was planned for Thursday. Pastor Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogySharpton is a longtime activist and leader and a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

It is unclear why Mitchell was at the hotel or what happened before guards detained him.

DeAsia Harmon, Mitchell’s widow, called what she saw on the surveillance videos “sickening.” Harmon said the video shows a bleeding Mitchell being dragged out of the hotel.

“It makes me sick,” Harmon said during a news conference on Wednesday. “He was running for his life. He wanted to get away. He said ‘I’m leaving,’ and they wouldn’t let him go.”

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump is part of the legal team representing Mitchell’s family. Crump said Wednesday that they have a signed affidavit from a hotel employee who said a security guard struck Mitchell with a baton and that Mitchell posed no threat while he was on the ground. The employee said a security guard ordered him and a bellman to restrain Mitchell, Crump said.

Crump also represented the family of George Floyd, the murdered in May 2020 by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death sparked worldwide protests against racist violence and police brutality.

Mitchell’s death comes as Milwaukee prepares for the start of the Republican National Convention and in the midst increased security concerns surrounding political protests.