By Melanie Eversley
The family of a Black 16-year-old who died at a youth facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., is seeking more than $50 million in a federal lawsuit.
Relatives of Cornelius Fredricks, who died at the now-closed Lakeside Academy, alleges Fredrick’s constitutional rights were violated when he was placed in a 10-minute restraint on April 29, 2020, blocking blood flow and oxygen, the MLive website reports. Fredricks never regained consciousness and died of a heart attack two days later at a hospital.
Three people have been charged in the death, according to MLive. The family alleges that excessive force as well as other workers’ failure to stop the incident were among the factors to blame.
