D'Vontaye Mitchell death; bellhop charged plans to turn self in
MILWAUKEE - Charged but not yet in custody in the Hyatt Regency hotel death of D'Vontaye Mitchell, only one of the four people charged has turned themselves in.
The only person behind bars is the security guard that told officers he was unlicensed and untrained when he forcefully restrained 43-year-old Mitchell. Jail records show 60-year-old Todd Erickson, the hotel’s former security manager, is the only suspect booked.
A day after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Herbert Williamson is at his Milwaukee home in distress.
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The 52-year-old was working as a bellman when Mitchell died on June 30. He’s one of the four men seen here restraining him.
Herbert Williamson
"It’s very hard, it’s very hard, but it’s something that I got to do," Williamson said.
Prosecutors say 35-year-old Brandon Turner told officers he was off-duty when he saw Mitchell panhandling outside. He said Mithcell ran inside, locking himself in the women’s bathroom.
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For weeks, family members have been pushing for charges after the death of D'Vontaye Mitchell. Now, four are charged with felony murder, and one is getting ready to appear in court.
Williamson said he was helping a guest with their luggage when he saw a fight involving the staff. Per the criminal complaint, he did not see what started the incident, but said a manager told him that a man, Mitchell, was fighting with staff and locked himself in the restroom.
Mithcell was punched, beaten and taken outside the hotel before he was eventually placed on his stomach. The autopsy report says he died from positional asphyxia. Meth and cocaine were also in his system.
"I feel like I am being wrongfully accused," Williamson said. "All I did was held D’Vontaye Mitchell down and I was instructed to do that by my manager."
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Milwaukee County prosecutors charged four people with felony murder in the June death of D'Vontaye Mitchell outside the Hyatt Regency hotel.
Dr. Brooks Walsh is an emergency medicine physician in Connecticut. He wants people to be aware of the prone position that ended Mitchell's life.
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"As simple as turning him over might have saved his life," Walsh said. "When someone is put in the face down position and they have been struggling, their body needs to get rid of all that bad air, the carbon dioxide."
Advice too late for one man, who does not know if he’ll sleep in his home come Thursday evening.
"My mind been blank, I don’t know what to say," Williamson said.
He said detectives called him, telling him he has until Thursday to turn himself in. He said he plans to follow their orders.