In a tragic and horrific incident May 28, a 34-yr-old Arizona man, Sean Bickings, drowned in front of a group of officers as they looked on. Bodycam footage was released and three officers have been put on “non-disciplinary paid administrative leave.”
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According to reports, Sean Bickings drowned in Tempe Town Lake after telling the officers he was “going to drown.”
Bickings, who has been described as homeless, was allegedly arguing with his girlfriend in the city center. The police were called and the couple “cooperated fully and denied that any physical argument had taken place,” according to a city report.
But even though the couple was cooperating, the police started looking for outstanding warrants. Bickings decided to hop a metal fence and jumped into the lake, saying he was going for a swim.
The cops told Bickings that swimming there was forbidden but he kept moving towards a bridge. That’s when the story becomes absolutely horrific.
It’s also when the bodycam footage stops, due to its sensitive and graphic nature. But the audio was released.
Bickings warns that he was about to drown but a cop is heard saying, “I’m not jumping in after you.”
The girlfriend starts panicking and repeatedly asks the cops to help her partner. “He’s drowning right in front of you, and you won’t help,” she says. The cops try to calm her down and claim they’re requesting a boat rescue.
Soon after, Sean Bickings submerges completely and never comes up.
The Tempe Officers Association state that because officers are not trained in water rescue, nor do they possess water rescue equipment, there was no protocol to save Bickings.
The incident has sparked a public outcry.
The three unnamed officers are on paid leave while the neighboring Scottsdale Police Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety review the incident.