Police Officer Who Killed Ethan Saylor, Unarmed Man With Down Syndrome, Won’t Be Indicted

National   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Dec 10, 2014   |   7:22PM   |   Washington, DC

In 2011, Ethan Saylor died after police deputies tried to forcibly remove him from a Maryland movie theater. Saylor, 26, had Down syndrome and went to the theater with his heath aid to see Zero Dark Thirty.

The incident occurred when the movie concluded and Saylor said he wanted to see it again. The theater employees approached him and asked him to leave since he hadn’t purchased a second movie ticket. However, Ethan didn’t want to leave so three police deputies came in to resolve the situation.

ethansaylor2Upon arrival, the deputies handcuffed Ethan but because of his size said they had to use three sets of handcuffs and put him on his stomach. The aide pleaded with them to stop because Ethan didn’t like being touched. She also told them that his mother, Patti Saylor, was on her way to pay for the second movie ticket.

But tragically, they ignored all of this information and Ethan died from positional asphyxia. His death was ruled a homicide and his autopsy showed that he had a crushed larynx, and his lungs were filled with blood.

Now a grand jury has decided that the deputy who killed Ethan will not be indicted.

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A grand just announced on Friday that they will not indict a Maryland police officer who killed an unarmed man who had Down Syndrome

“They felt no further investigation was necessary,” Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, said about the death of Robert Ethan Saylor, 26. Smith explained at a news conference just outside of the county courthouse, that “no crime had been committed.”

Police justified their killing by explaining that Saylor, who has Down Syndrome, verbally and physically resisted their attempts to remove him from the theater, and because of his large size, the officers say they had to use three sets of handcuffs on him and placed him on his stomach for “one to two minutes.” When he showed signs of distress, officers said they administered CPR and other First Aid. However, back in February, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore said that Saylor’s death was a homicide resulting from asphyxia.

According to the attorney who represented Saylor’s parents, Ethan’s family is “extremely disappointed, saddened, and concerned” over the jury’s decision. As LifeNews previously reported, the brother of the Frederick County Sheriff who was involved in the case, Chuck Jenkins, said he believed the officer’s behavior was not wrong. Unbelievably, instead of taking any responsibility, Jenkins said that the solution is for people with Down syndrome to just stay home.