A Facebook executive asks for answers after his brother's death during a police clash

MILLBRAE, California – A Facebook executive is asking for answers after his brother's death at a police meeting south of San Francisco this month. Ebele Okobi told USA Today that her brother, 36-year-old Chinedu Valentine, was suffering from mental health problems and was unarmed when he died on October 3 after being a victim of tasered several times by sheriff's deputies from San Mateo County.

Ebele Okobi, Facebook's director of public policy for Africa, told USA Today that she wanted to know if MPs had been trained in crisis intervention with people with disorders. mental and why they had continued to use his brother Taser instead of calling a doctor. The incident occurred within 30 km of the tech giant's headquarters in Silicon Valley, and Ebele Okobi, an African-American, told the newspaper that she had received considerable support from her colleagues .

"I think this has helped people who are not African American and who are not part of the African-American community to recognize that it's something that all Black people face," he said. Okobi, who lives in London, USA Today. "I really think that on Facebook, for many of my friends and colleagues, there has been this awareness and recognition that this is an important national problem. "

The sheriff's office said in a press release that Okobi was in traffic on a busy Millbrae artery when a deputy had first met him around 1 pm. That day. San Mateo district prosecutor Stephen Wagstaffe, who is investigating the death, told CBS News that the deputy minister had contacted Okobi because he feared for his safety. He said that Okobi had resisted the officers and, when they could not control him with the help of their hands, two deputy ministers had deployed their Tasers.

Okobi was hit by the stun gun between three and four times, said Wagstaffe.

Wagstaffe said Okobi had been arrested, but had quickly suffered a cardiac arrest. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

In a press release issued by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, Okobi had "immediately attacked" the first MP, who had radioed for help. It was at this point that other members responded to the call. According to the statement, no shots were fired, but did not mention a Taser. He sent media inquiries to Wagstaffe.

Wagstaffe said that there was a physical altercation between Okobi and the officers, but that he would not call him an aggression and wanted to first examine the evidence.

Wagstaffe said there were several videos of the incident, including a Dashcam video, a surveillance video and a video on a witness cell, although none captured the entire picture. 39; incident. The sheriff's office still has no camera for the body, he said.

John Burris, a prominent civil rights lawyer representing the Okobi family, told CBC radio affiliate KCAL that the account of Okobi's behavior by officials "is not a death warrant".

"If, in fact, he walked in the reported way, it might suggest the existence of a mental problem," he said. "If that's the case, the officers should have been properly informed and treated differently from the crime suspects."

Burris said that if the Taser is misused, this should justify criminal prosecution for the officers, who are currently on paid leave.

The family also requests the publication of all videos.

Wagstaffe said he hoped to broadcast a video of the incident within 45 days, but that he would share this video and any other information with the family before making it public.

"They are entitled to this as a grieving family, and I mourn for them," said Wagstaffe. "No matter how it happened, this family lost a loved one."

Wagstaffe said that he had met the family on Wednesday morning and understood that they wanted answers. He stated that he was investigating whether MPs had committed a crime by excessive use of force. His office is waiting for further information from the office of the medical examiner to determine if the Taser played a role in the death of Okobi.

Ebele Okobi told USA Today that her brother, father and business school graduate from Morehouse College, had been diagnosed bipolar and schizophrenic by another. He held a job, attended church and wrote poetry, Okobi said. He managed the situation until December or January, she told the newspaper, when Okobi said he feared his brother would stop taking his medication.

The newspaper reports that a service organized for Chinedu Okobi at the San Francisco Christian Center on Tuesday brought together several Facebook officials. According to Okobi, a fundraiser on Facebook, in favor of the initiative for the equality of justice, describes him as a "person, a son, a little brother …. And a father. He was loved. Remember his name. Black Lives Matter. "