Two Indianapolis police officers were found not guilty Dec. 6 of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and battery in the death of Herman Whitfield III after a weeklong trial.
The 12-member jury took only about two hours to reach its verdict.
At the center of the case was whether Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez acted recklessly in a way that caused Whitfield’s death.
Sanchez and Ahmad sat expressionless as Marion Superior Judge Charles Miller read the jury’s verdict.
Outside the courtroom, Marion County prosecutors walked briskly past reporters and declined to answer questions. Whitfield’s parents — Herman Whitfield Jr. and Gladys Whitfield — also declined to comment.
Black faith leaders expressed their disappointment on the outcome.
Pastor Darrell Brooks, chair of the Black Church Coalition Clergy, said the verdict “feels like a profound failure of justice.”
“Once again, a Black man is unjustly blamed for his own death at the hands of the police — a tragic and all-too-familiar pattern,” Brooks told Mirror Indy.
But outside the courtroom, John Kautzman, a defense attorney representing the two IMPD officers, said the evidence was “crystal clear.”
“They did the best they could under difficult circumstances to follow their policies, to follow the law and to try to help this person and get him to a point where he could be transported to the hospital,” Kautzman told reporters. “It’s a tragedy when someone has a heart attack in the course of tussling with police, but it doesn’t mean the police did anything wrong, and it certainly doesn’t mean they did anything criminal.”
Ahmad and Sanchez, who declined to comment after the verdict, were two of six officers who responded to the Whitfield home on April 25, 2022, after Whitfield’s mother called 911 as her son was experiencing a mental health crisis.
After an investigation, a grand jury indicted the officers, who maintained their innocence throughout the trial and justified their actions on the witness stand.
If convicted, they would have faced up to six years in prison.
The Whitfield family is still pursuing a civil suit against the officers and the city of Indianapolis. Kautzman said he will be part of the defense team should that case proceed.
Reaction from police chief, prosecutor and the community
Rick Snyder, president of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, lambasted Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, accusing him of “shortchanging” taxpayers by pursuing charges against the officers.
“Prosecutor Mears knows there was no cause to criminally charge these officers, but he covered his political backside by routing this case to a grand jury and not providing them with the full information and context for their review and their decision-making process,” Snyder said in a prepared statement to reporters.
Snyder also promised to pursue legislation at the Statehouse that would levy sanctions against prosecutors. Republican lawmakers have authored bills in recent years targeting “noncompliant” prosecutors who refuse to file charges for certain crimes.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said he was “heartbroken for the Whitfield family” but recognized jurors “for their consideration of the testimony and evidence over the past five days.”
IMPD Chief Chris Bailey, who was present for closing arguments Dec. 6, said in a statement that officers Ahmad and Sanchez will complete “refresher training” before they return to work. They have been on administrative leave since Whitfield’s death.
“Cases like this are deeply difficult, and there are no true winners,” Bailey said. “Mental health is an issue that impacts so many across our community. It is a complicated and sensitive topic that requires a thoughtful and holistic response. Law enforcement alone should not bear the responsibility of responding to situations involving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.”
The Rev. David Greene, pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries and president of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, said he was hoping for a different outcome but was not shocked by the jury’s decision.
“I’m not surprised but continue to be disappointed by those types of decisions,” Greene told Mirror Indy. “It’s just hard to accept, and the community really doesn’t accept it. I think it’s part of the challenge. I think it hurts relationships between the community and law enforcement.”
How the jury reached the verdict
In closing arguments, the defense argued that the officers’ actions in the face of Whitfield’s unpredictable and erratic behavior were “objectively reasonable” and therefore they could not be held criminally responsible for Whitfield’s death.
They pointed to the four medical experts who testified during the trial that Whitfield died before officers finished handcuffing him.
“Every single medical expert agreed that Herman Whitfield’s heart stopped prior to cuffing,” said attorney P. Mason Riley. “If he dies while they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and if he dies for reasons unbeknownst to them, then they cannot be held criminally liable for that.”
Prosecutors argued that Whitfield was kept in the prone position for longer than necessary, contributing to his death.
“It was their choice to have him down on the ground and handcuff him,” Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Janna Skelton said. “It was their choice to keep him there, and it was that choice — that touching, that force — that was the crime. It is their actions that killed him that day.”
Prosecutors also pointed to the results of an autopsy that found Whitfield died of cardiac arrest while under police restraint. The pathologist, who also testified this week, ruled Whitfield’s death as a homicide.
Whitfield’s parents say they heard Whitfield say “can’t breathe”; all six officers testified that they did not hear Whitfield say those words, though the pathologist who performed the autopsy said he heard him say it on body camera footage.
Whitfield was remembered by friends and family as a talented pianist and composer. His death spurred calls from Black faith leaders to rethink the way police officers respond to and handle certain mental health situations and rethink the treatment of Black men by police.
Those leaders said Friday’s verdict reinforces the need to improve access to mental health services across Marion County.
“Herman Whitfield should not have died. His life was cut short and that’s the bottom line,” Greene said. “He had a mental health episode and died as a result of that, and we can’t have that continue to happen in our community. At the same time, you need relationships and coalition-building between community and law enforcement. These types of decisions do not help you get there.”
IMPD has a Mobile Crisis Assistance Team unit that pairs an officer with a paramedic and licensed mental health professional to respond to mental health-related calls, though none of the teams was available when Gladys Whitfield rang 911.
MCAT operates from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Bailey said MCAT will continue to operate across the city. He also encouraged community members to call 988 for “nonviolent crisis emergencies.”
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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