A Detroit judge decided on Thursday not to impose any further jail time on a security guard involved in the 2014 death of McKenzie Cochran, a man who repeatedly exclaimed, “I can’t breathe,” while being restrained at a shopping mall in the region.
Lucius Hamilton, the only one among four security guards charged in the incident, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter just before his trial. The other three guards were acquitted by an Oakland County jury in a quick verdict last month.
Hamilton, 61, was sentenced by Judge Martha Anderson to two days in jail but was credited for time already served, as indicated by records available online. This sentence was considerably lenient compared to her earlier indication that Hamilton could face a 90-day jail term, a statement made prior to the acquittal of the co-guards.
Hamilton’s defense attorney, Mohammed Nasser, had previously requested that the judge impose 90 days of house arrest in a motion submitted earlier that week. After the sentencing, Nasser shared his belief that the judge’s decision was influenced by Hamilton’s remorse as well as his eagerness to settle the matter.
“The judge had the opportunity to hear the factual scenario of what happened at trial,” Nasser stated following the court proceedings. “Do I think justice was served? Absolutely.” Attempts to obtain comment from the state prosecutors have not yet yielded a response.
Cochran, a 25-year-old man, was confronted by the Northland Center security personnel after making threats to a jewelry store owner. The initial encounter involved two guards using pepper spray, but the situation escalated, bringing in a total of five guards attempting to place him in handcuffs.
Defense legal representatives contended that the guards were acting in self-defense and for the safety of mall visitors during the incident. The official cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. During the trial, a defense expert claimed that Cochran could have been subdued within 30 seconds had he not resisted.
In 2014, local prosecutors chose not to file any charges following Cochran’s death, who was Black. However, the state attorney general revived the case in 2020 after the nationally publicized death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being restrained by police in Minneapolis. Prosecutors, however, did not suggest that race was a factor in Cochran’s death.
