In 2016, the death of Tony Timpa rocked Texas. He called 911 from the parking lot of a Dallas porn store, asking the dispatcher for help after revealing that he suffered from schizophrenia and hadn’t been taking his anti-psychotics. Twenty minutes later, Timpa was dead. Dallas police have said little about how a man under their protection ended up dead. But the details are coming together, and they should unsettle us all.
On Tuesday, body camera footage obtained by The Dallas Morning News helped piece together the disturbing death of Tony Timpa. After exerting combative and aggressive behavior, Timpa was arrested and pinned to the ground by negligent Dallas officers who didn’t realize their detainee had fallen unconscious with his nose buried in the grass and a knee in his back. They’d ignored his pleas: “You’re gonna kill me! You’re gonna kill me! You’re gonna kill me!”
By the time they realized, it was too late. Fourteen minutes passed while the officers handcuffed Timpa’s arms behind his back, zip-tied his legs together, joked that they could hear the 32-year-old snoring, and laughed about how they’d wake him up for school and make him waffles for breakfast. “It’s time for school. Wake up!” one officer yells. Another says, “I don’t want to go to school! Five more minutes, Mom!”
Meanwhile, Timpa stopped breathing.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Timpa didn’t threaten or use violence against the officers present at the scene. Initially concerned for his safety, the officers bound Timpa so that he couldn’t run into the nearby intersection. But that’s where the concern stopped. The officers didn’t notice Timpa’s unresponsiveness until the paramedics arrived and loaded his body onto the gurney. “He didn’t just die down there, did he?” one of the officers asks.
In 2017, a grand jury indicted the three officers involved: Kevin Mansell, Danny Vasquez, and Dustin Dillard. After two days of testimony, the grand jury concluded that the “officers engaged in reckless conduct that placed Timpa in imminent danger of serious bodily injury.” In March, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot dismissed the charges after meeting with “all three medical examiners” who “cannot, and will not, testify to the elements of the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.”
When the charges against Dillard, Mansell, and Vasquez were dismissed, so too were the disciplinary actions taken against them within the Dallas Police Department. As it stands, the officers have only faced reprimands for “discourtesy” and “unprofessionalism,” according to records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Each of the officers returned to active duty in April.
This should shock the conscience of Dallas, the state of Texas, and the nation. Timpa’s death was unlawful and grotesque. No, these officers didn’t use excessive force against Timpa. They didn’t physically abuse him. But they did neglect him, and the result was his death.
Carelessness might not be considered police brutality, but perhaps it should be. It’s unfair to argue Dillard, Mansell, and Vasquez wanted Timpa to die. It’s just as reckless to claim they intentionally killed him. But these men swore to protect and defend the rule of law and those who abide by it, and they failed Timpa that day.
Most cops are good. Law enforcement deserves the benefit of the doubt in most cases. But here, there can be no doubt. Dillard, Mansell, and Vasquez were in the wrong, and an innocent man paid the price.
A just society must leave room for mercy. These men don’t deserve to spend the rest of their lives in prison, as some have said. But grace only lasts if there’s also accountability. These men should not continue to wear the badge they neglected.
