Following a state audit, over 40 deaths previously underreported or misclassified by authorities during instances of police restraint have been reclassified as homicides, spanning a time frame of nearly 16 years; this revelation has opened old wounds and renewed calls for justice from affected families. One such case gaining renewed scrutiny is that of Tyrone West, who died in police custody after being pulled over on Kelway Road, Baltimore in July 2013; Tawanda Jones, West’s sister, has been a consistent voice in seeking accountability for her brother’s death, persistently advocating every Wednesday for nearly 12 years.
According to a report obtained by WBALTV, Jones expressed her protracted frustration, saying, “I’m feeling like I’m on an emotional roller coaster, because I’ve been bottled up with all these emotions for over a decade now, going on 12 years,” her fight for her brother’s case to be acknowledged as a homicide by authorities has been a long, arduous journey. The initial ruling suggested that dehydration and a pre-existing heart condition were to blame for West’s death; however, Jones vehemently disputes this finding, pointing out the egregious manner in which her brother’s body was treated during postmortem investigations, including the removal of his heart for testing.
The fight for acknowledgment seems to have reached a pivotal moment as Tuesday’s audit findings have substantiated Jones’s unwavering assertion that her brother’s death was indeed wrongfully classified, echoing her sentiment of a systematized cover-up of deaths occurring under police restraint, as divulged in an interview with WMAR2 News. “Not at all, I feel like I’m finally being heard, but I’ll be vindicated when I have killer cops in the cell blocks,” Jones stated resolutely, underlying her belief that true vindication is only attainable with the incarceration of the officers involved in her brother’s death…