MILWAUKEE – Several employees involved in the death of a black man who was pushed to the ground outside a Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee have been fired, the company that operates the hotel said.
Family members of D’Vontaye Mitchell and their attorneys reviewed hotel surveillance video provided to them by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday and described seeing Mitchell being chased into the hotel by security guards, 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.”
People also read…
The death of a black man who was seen on video being pinned to the ground by security guards at a Milwaukee hotel last month is being investigated as a homicide.
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. Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to deliver a eulogy. Sharpton is a longtime activist and leader who serves on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
It’s been nearly a week since Dvontaye Mitchell died after security guards attempted to detain him outside a downtown Milwaukee hotel.
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.
D’Vontaye Mitchell, pictured here with his sister Nayish Mitchell and cousin Samantha Mitchell, died June 30 after being pinned to the ground by security guards at a Milwaukee hotel.
Samantha Mitchell
Crump also represented the family of George Floyd, who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020. Floyd’s death sparked worldwide protests against racist violence and police brutality.
Mitchell’s death came amid Milwaukee’s preparations for the start of the Republican National Convention on Monday and heightened security concerns surrounding political protests.
