Lawsuit: Teen screamed 'I can't breathe' during restraint

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A civil lawsuit filed Monday following the death of a 16-year-old alleges that video from a Michigan youth facility recorded the Black teen screaming “I can’t breathe” as a staff member placed weight on his chest for nearly 10 minutes.

The lawsuit filed in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court names Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo and Sequel Youth and Family Services as defendants.

Cornelius Fredericks died May 1 after going into cardiac arrest April 29. At the time, authorities said he was being restrained by staff after throwing a sandwich.

His death came nearly a month before George Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis. Floyd died after a white officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after the handcuffed Black man stopped moving and pleading for air.

Floyd's dying words, “I can’t breathe,” have become a rallying call for people protesting police violence against Blacks and racial injustice during demonstrations across the U.S.

“The excessive use of restraints and the lack of concern for Cornelius’s life draw an eerily similar comparison to that of George Floyd’s death,” according to the lawsuit, which alleges negligence and says Lakeside staff improperly and wrongfully used restraints on Fredericks.

The race of the staff member or members involved wasn't immediately known. The lawsuit seeks damages allowed under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act. No financial amount was specified.

The Associated Press left messages Monday seeking comment from Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services.

The foster care system or parents placed youths in Lakeside Academy, a residential treatment facility about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Detroit, to receive behavioral health services after being abused or...