Vicki Timpa wants the world to see how her son died in Dallas police custody.
The mother spoke at a news conference Friday after the release of body camera footage showing the controversial in-custody death of 32-year-old Tony Timpa in August 2016.
"It's really hard to hear my son scream, 'Help me,'" Vicki Timpa said.
Videos released this week show how Tony Timpa was held down for nearly 14 minutes while he writhed and yelled for help, eventually quieting down, snoring and then going silent.
Timpa called the police for help. He said he was schizophrenic, was off his medication and had taken cocaine.
“The footage graphically depicts the needless death of an unarmed young man,” said attorney Geoff Henley, who's representing the family, in a news release. “What is worse, some of the officers seemed more interested in sophomoric gallows humor than ensuring that they were keeping Tony alive.”
At the news conference, attorneys explained why they believed the approach by officers was unnecessary.
"Early on he [Tony] tells them, ‘I’m down, I’m down, submitting to your authority,'” the attorney explained while breaking down the body-cam video.
Police said his erratic behavior continued and he was "combative and aggressive," during his arrest. Police said Timpa was subjected to "physical restraint" and was later pronounced dead at Parkland.
A lawsuit filed by his family accuses the officers of applying excessive pressure to the man's head and torso.
Audio was also shared Friday from a disciplinary hearing for two of the officers involved in the case.
"My intentions were not to belittle Mr. Timpa” one of the officers said. “It was see if we could get reactions from him.”
The attorney paused the video and said Tony was unresponsive and had been subdued for about 14 minutes.
“I was trying to get him to perk up, so that way I can know he’s listening,” the officer said in the audio clip played.
But Henley said, “Nothing can explain why this humor would make any sense at all.”
What the videos show
Two security guards at a local business had already handcuffed Timpa by the time Dallas police officers arrived.
Timpa was yelling and officers said they pinned him down because he was "rolling rolling."
At one point officers zip tied his ankles together because he was trying to kick officer.
At one point paramedics check his vital signs. Timpa appears unresponsive when he's given a sedative.
“The fire department did take his vitals and he seemed fine then but certainly they could have been more proactive,” Henley said Friday.
After he's silent, one of the officers says, "I hope I didn't kill him."
Once in the ambulance officers and paramedics performed chest compressions on Timpa but couldn't revive him.
Three officers were indicted on misdemeanor deadly conduct charges, but those charges were dismissed by Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.
The release of the video was primarily sparked by the charges being dropped. Creuzot said three medical examiners declined to testify in the case.
Still on the job
The officers who were indicted are still employed by the Dallas Police Department.
Vicki Timpa said that's not OK.
"The best thing that could happen to my son right now, is these officers lose their badge,” the mother said. "They need to get the rotten apples out of the barrel."
Through tears, Timpa's mother talked about how difficult it's been since her son's death.
"It’s really hard to hear my son scream, ‘Help me!’ and cry” she said. “And they laugh at him, and they torture him and kill him and have fun doing it."
She said the videos prove that her son needed help and died suffering.
An autopsy report states Tony Timpa died due to toxic effects of cocaine and physiological stress associated with physical restraint. Timpa also had an enlarged heart, medical reports show.
