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Police bodycam video shows cops didn't exit cruiser to search for trapped teen suffocating in van
Police bodycam video shows officers who responded to a 911 call from teenager Kyle Plush, who was trapped and suffocating in his van at his school on April 10, didn't exit their cruiser to search for him. (Image source: YouTube screenshot)

Police bodycam video shows cops didn't exit cruiser to search for trapped teen suffocating in van

Police bodycam video shows officers who responded to a 911 call from a teen trapped and suffocating in his van at his school two weeks ago didn't exit their cruiser to search for him, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The video released Friday also shows Cincinnati Officers Edsel Osborne and Brian Brazile didn't check all the parking lots at Seven Hills School after Kyle Plush's afternoon 911 call on April 10, the paper said.

Police records indicate the officers were at the school for about 11 minutes — but the bodycam video shows only about three minutes of their search, the paper said.

The teen was retrieving tennis equipment from the rear of a 2004 Honda Odyssey when the third-row bench seat flipped over, pinning him under it, the Enquirer said. Kyle called 911 twice, but no help arrived.

Kyle suffocated under the weight of the seat, the paper reported, citing the Hamilton County Coroner's Office. Kyle's father found his body that night after reporting his son missing, the Enquirer noted, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What else does the bodycam video show?

It sounds as though music is playing in the cruiser as the clip rolls. According to the department's manual of rules and regulations, officers "shall not play games, watch television or movies, or otherwise engage in entertainment while on duty, except as may be required in the performance of duty," the Enquirer reported, adding that it's unclear if the policy covers music in cruisers.

In addition, one officer is heard telling the other, "These kids drive better cars than you do." An officer also is heard saying, "I don't see nobody, which I didn't imagine I would."

What do other police regulations say?

It's not clear why reports show the officers were at the scene for 11 minutes while the bodycam video is only three minutes in length, the paper reported, adding that police wouldn't comment on the incident until an internal investigation is over.

Department policy requires officers to use their bodycams to record all calls for service, the Enquirer said, adding that the cameras are supposed to be activated when officers arrive at locations described in calls.

"The [camera] may be deactivated after ... clearing the call for service," the policy states, the paper said.

The bodycam video was made public after requests by the Enquirer and other media outlets, the paper said.

What else happened that day?

In his first 911 call at 3:15 p.m., Kyle gave his location as "Seven Hills" and said he was "trapped in my van," the paper said.

"I'm gonna die here," he told 911 operator Stephanie Magee, the Enquirer reported, adding that yelling and loud banging sounds also were heard on the call.

Magee's supervisors later said she should have given that information to officers at the scene — but she categorized the call as unknown trouble, the paper added.

When Kyle made his second 911 call at 3:35 p.m., he described the school lot he was in, the color and model of his vehicle and that he would die if he didn't get help soon — and the officers were still at the scene, the Enquirer said.

However, operator Amber Smith said she couldn't hear Kyle give that information, so it was never passed on to Osborne and Brazile, who departed two minutes later, the paper said.

Police Chief Eliot Isaac has said something went "terribly wrong" in the second call, the Enquirer reported, noting that a police review found that the system was working.

What happened to the officers?

Osborne and Brazile have not been placed on administrative leave, the paper said.

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