On June 4, 34-year-old Rolin Hill was arrested by the Virginia Police on the charges of trespassing, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. That he didn’t survive the day is throwing up the red flags of potential murder.
According to The Virginian-Pilot, Hill was denied bond and booked into a local jail. Officers claim that he almost immediately became uncooperative and was combative. Allegedly, Hill had to be restrained during the booking process.
But less than an hour after arriving, he experienced a medical emergency and was taken to a hospital. He died six days from “positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression,” according to the Tidewater Medical Examiner’s Office.
Months later, Hill’s death has now been ruled a homicide and the five officers who were involved in restraining him have been terminated.
More from The Virginian-Pilot:
A news release issued by Sheriff Rocky Holcomb on Friday afternoon said the decision to terminate the deputies was “based on updates” provided by Virginia State Police, the agency investigating the incident. The release didn’t identify the deputies, nor did it say when their employment ended, or provide any other details.
“We are committed to continuing our full cooperation with the investigation and vow to provide full transparency once all investigations are concluded and adjudicated by the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office,” Holcomb wrote in the release. “We remain committed to justice and transparency, which is why I requested an independent investigation by VSP immediately upon being notified of what occurred.”
The investigation into Hill’s death is still ongoing.
While no charges have been brought to the officers involved or anyone else for that matter, the circumstances surrounding Hill’s death sound all too familiar for Black people.
“Positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression” sounds similar to the way George Floyd died in May 2020.