Teens filmed and mocked disabled drowning man in disturbing video
A 32-year-old man drowned in a lake as a group of teenagers laughed and filmed him, video footage released by police appears to show.
Jamel Dunn, of Cocoa, Florida, died after wading into a fenced off pond following cries for help which went ignored.
Brevard County State Attorney’s office released the video to Florida Today, and said that although the incident was a "tragedy", the young people involved in the video do not appear to have broken any laws.
The teenagers, thought to be aged between 14 and 16, can be heard laughing behind the camera as the father-of-two shouted for help, before he disappeared under water.
One shouted: “Get out the water, you gonna die.” Another can be heard saying: “Ain’t nobody fixing to help you, you dumb b***h.”
Another teen asked his peers if they were “scared to see a dead person” as a scream is heard in the background. Moments later one announced “he just died”, before the rest erupted in laughter. They left the park shortly after without reporting the incident to the authorities.
Yvonne Martinez, spokesperson for Cocoa Police Department, said: “He started to struggle and scream for help and they just laughed. They didn’t call the police. They just laughed the whole time.”
His fiancé had reported Mr Dunn missing, and a family friend notified the police after finding the video online.
The teens were later identified and questioned by detectives, though it is unlikely they will be charged, given that they were not directly involved in his death. "Good Samaritan" laws cannot be applied to the case, police said.
In a statement released to Florida Today, the State Attorney’s office said they were “deeply saddened and shocked at both the manner in which Mr Dunn lost his life and the actions of the witnesses".
“While the incident depicted on the recording does not give rise to sufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution under Florida statutes, we can find no moral justification for either the behaviour of persons heard on the recording or the deliberate decision not to render aid to Mr Dunn," the statement added.
Members of Mr Dunn’s family said they disagreed with the authorities' decision not to pursue the matter.
Simone Scott, his sister, wrote on Facebook: “So the detective claim they took the video to state and there's nothing that can been done to the kids because they no obligated to help [sic]. Ok I agree they don't have to help but they should've CALLED FOR HELP (911).
“My brother is disable and walks with a cane, please make it make sense to me [sic]."