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Kenneth Wayne Knotts

Age : 41

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 11/29/2022

Location : UT Southwestern Medical Center

City : Dallas

County : Dallas

State : Texas

Agency : UT Southwestern Medical Center Police Department

Officer(s) :Brandon Ledbetter; Anaid Vejar; Barry Secrest; Donald McKenzie

Cause of Death : Asphyxiation

Event : Fatal medical emergency during police restraint in mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 11/29/2022, Kenneth Wayne Knotts, 41, was taken to UT Southwestern Medical Center after Hutchins police encountered him during a mental health crisis and transported him to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
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Knotts later left his hospital room. UT Southwestern police pursued him and apprehended him outside a nearby medical facility. He was handcuffed and returned to the hospital.
Body-camera footage shows officers restraining Knotts face-down on a hospital bed while he was handcuffed. Knotts repeatedly said he could not breathe. He eventually stopped moving, and medical personnel discovered that he had no pulse. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and Knotts was pronounced dead at 1:02 p.m.
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The Dallas County Medical Examiner determined that Knotts died from sudden cardiac arrest associated with physical restraint and a semi-prone position and classified his death as Homicide. A Dallas County grand jury subsequently declined to indict the officers.
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Knotts' family filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the officers. The lawsuit identified UT Southwestern Police Officers Brandon Ledbetter, Anaid Vejar, Barry Secrest and Donald McKenzie. A federal judge dismissed the claims with prejudice in January 2025.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Brandon Ledbetter, Anaid Vejar, Barry Secrest and Donald McKenzie were identified as the UT Southwestern police officers involved in Knotts' restraint. A Dallas County grand jury declined criminal charges.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.fox4news.com/news/kenneth-knotts-body-camera-video
https://www.fox4news.com/news/kenneth-knotts-death-ut-southwestern-medical-center
https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2023-10-26/dallas-hospital-police-death-lawsuit
https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2024-04-23/kenneth-knotts-death-ut-southwestern-police-excessive-force-lawsuit
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/attorney-releases-portion-of-body-cam-video-from-ut-southwestern-custodial-death-claim/
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txnd-3_23-cv-02369/pdf/USCOURTS-txnd-3_23-cv-02369-0.pdf