Two Canton Police officers were charged Friday with reckless homicide in connection with the April death of Frank E. Tyson, 53, who died in police custody after repeatedly telling officers, “I can’t breathe.”
Officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch were booked into the Stark County Jail following their indictments by a Stark County grand jury earlier in the day. Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone announced late Friday that a press conference will be held Saturday at noon to address the grand jury’s findings – Jordan Miller News will have a live stream of the press conference.
The charges stem from an incident on April 18, when Schoenegge and Burch, members of the Canton Police Department’s traffic bureau, responded to reports of a car crash near the eastern edge of Canton. According to police, Tyson had fled to an AMVETS Post on Sherrick Road Southeast after striking a power pole in the area.
Body camera footage released by the department in May captured the officers’ encounter with Tyson. The video shows officers attempting to arrest Tyson, who resisted, prompting one officer to use a knee to restrain him on the ground. Tyson repeatedly called out, “I can’t breathe” before lying motionless on the floor for over five minutes without receiving medical attention. Medics were eventually summoned, and officers began CPR, but Tyson was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Following the incident, both Schoenegge and Burch were placed on paid administrative leave as the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation launched a probe into Tyson’s death. Tyson’s death, captured on bodycam video, has sparked calls for transparency and accountability within the community.
“Today we have released the bodycam footage of the arrest incident involving the death of Mr. Frank E. Tyson,” Canton Mayor William V. Sherer II said at the time. The mayor also met with Tyson’s family to view the footage prior to its public release and extended his condolences.
The officers now face charges that could carry significant consequences if convicted.
