Indianapolis Police Officers Found Not Guilty in 2022 Fatal Incident at Man’s Parents’ Residence

INDIANAPOLIS—On Friday, two police officers from Indianapolis were found not guilty of manslaughter and various other charges related to the death of a man who died after being Tasered and restrained face down while being handcuffed.

The jury began their deliberations on Friday morning and reached a verdict in under three hours following five days of trial testimony regarding the 2022 death of Herman Whitfield III, according to local news reports.

Officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez were tried jointly, with the jury acquitting them on all counts: one felony charge each of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, battery causing serious bodily injury, battery causing moderate injury, and one misdemeanor battery charge.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears expressed that he was “heartbroken” for Whitfield’s family in a statement released after the verdict.

John Kautzman, an attorney for the officers, told The Associated Press that the defense team was “very, very pleased with the outcome of the case,” asserting that police officers should not face prison for performing their duties.

“We believe they acted appropriately in a very challenging situation, and we’re grateful they were exonerated,” Kautzman stated.

The lawyer representing the Whitfield family, Richard Waples, did not immediately respond to a voicemail requesting a comment.

Ahmad, 32, and Sanchez, 35, were indicted by a grand jury in April 2023 after Whitfield’s family pursued authorities for nearly a year to release full body camera footage of the incident and called for the termination of up to six officers involved.

The body camera videos, released in January 2023, captured Whitfield’s last moments.

Throughout the trial, both officers have remained on administrative duty with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Chief Chris Bailey announced on X that they would return to their standard roles after completing refresher training.

Bailey also conveyed his condolences to Whitfield’s family and praised Ahmad, Sanchez, and other officers and detectives for their “professionalism and resilience” during the trial proceedings.

“Cases like this are profoundly challenging, and there are no real winners,” Bailey remarked.

On April 25, 2022, Whitfield’s parents, Herman Whitfield Jr. and Gladys Whitfield, called 911, reporting that their 39-year-old son, a talented pianist, was experiencing a mental health crisis at their home in Indianapolis.

Whitfield was declared dead at a hospital after experiencing a Taser shock and being held face down on the floor of his parents’ dining room while being handcuffed by Sanchez and Ahmad.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office classified Whitfield’s death as a homicide, attributing it to heart failure during the period of restraint and shock.

The coroner noted that Whitfield weighed 389 pounds, listing “morbid obesity” and “hypertensive cardiovascular disease” as contributing factors to his death.

During his opening statement on December 2, Daniel Cicchini, the chief trial deputy for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, argued that the two officers acted “recklessly” by restraining Whitfield in a face-down position for an excessive duration.

“Essentially, his heart and lungs were unable to function properly,” Cicchini explained to the jury. “By keeping him in that position, they behaved recklessly.”

He asserted that the officers’ conduct rendered Whitfield “unable to breathe.”

“In April 2022, Herman Jr. and Gladys Whitfield sought assistance, expecting that the police would protect their son during a time of urgent need, only for it to end in tragedy,” Mears, the prosecutor, commented in his statement on Friday.

The defense for Ahmad and Sanchez contended that the officers had acted within legal limits.

Mason Riley, one of their attorneys, stated during his opening remarks that Whitfield had an enlarged heart, adding that autopsy findings indicated he died “before the handcuffing was completed.”

“Neither officer committed any crime,” Riley argued in regard to his clients.

He emphasized that neither Ahmad nor Sanchez, nor other responding officers, heard Whitfield express that he couldn’t breathe.

The officers’ legal team had attempted to have the charges dismissed, arguing among other things that the grand jury proceedings were flawed and the presented facts did not constitute an offense.

The court dismissed one involuntary manslaughter charge against Sanchez but permitted the other charges against both officers to advance to trial.

A lawsuit filed by Whitfield’s family against the city of Indianapolis and six police officers—including Ahmad, Sanchez, and Clark—claims that Whitfield “died due to the application of force against him” and describes the force used as “unreasonable and excessive.”

“Mr. Whitfield required professional mental health care, not the deployment of excessive force,” the lawsuit asserts.

The family is pursuing unspecified damages, with this civil case set for a July 2025 trial in federal court in Indianapolis.