FOX6 investigation rekindles petition efforts against Chief Flynn

MILWAUKEE -- A FOX6 Investigation has community activists renewing their call for the resignation of Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn. Members of Milwaukee's north side community plan to hold a vigil outside the Milwaukee County Jail where James Perry died two years ago after spending hours in police custody. FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn has the exclusive video showing what happened in Perry's final hours that has people so upset.

James Perry was arrested of suspicion of armed robbery, and surrendered without a fight. Perry had a seizure in his jail cell, and police took him to Aurora-Sinai Medical Center. Police returned him to the Milwaukee County Jail after he was treated by medical staff. Perry was left alone on the floor for three minutes, and while he begged for officers to help him. The FOX6 exclusive video shows officers dismissing his cries for help, one officer even said, "He's fakin' it."

By the time officers removed Perry's blood-stained spit mask he wasn't breathing. Perry mother, Angela Garner, says, "They allowed my son to die."

Chief Flynn says his officers followed the proper procedures by taking Perry for medical help in the first place. "It was the hospital that said, you can have him back. 'We've medicated him. Here take him back. He's fakin,'" said Flynn.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner says it wasn't the seizures that killed him anyway. It was a heart attack. Chief Flynn says, "It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy that he had diagnosed heart disease that killed him."

Flynn was already under fire for the in-custody death of Derek Williams, and officers accused of performing illegal strip searches. The same community activists who called for his resignation earlier this year are renewing that effort. Community Activist Tracey Dent says, "It's not right to let people die, and then say oh well."

Dent posted a link to our investigation on his Facebook page encouraging others to sign his petition to oust Flynn. Community Activist Tory Lowe signed that petition saying, "The police department and Chief Flynn has no trust. And when that happens it causes major problems between the people and the police."

Perry's family has filed a federal lawsuit against police and the sheriff's department while Dent and Lowe are aiming their efforts at the court of public opinion.

CLICK HERE to view the original FOX6 Investigation into the death of James Perry.