Canton Officers Plead Not Guilty to Reckless Homicide in Frank Tyson’s Death

In Canton, two police officers involved in the April 18th incident that led to the death of 53-year-old Frank Tyson have pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless homicide. Officers Camden Burch and Beau Schoenegge, who are both 24, entered their written pleas ahead of their scheduled arraignment this morning, as reported by

Cleveland19

.

The court had initially set bond at $25,000 for each officer, a condition they met earlier in the week after waiving their appearance at a Stark County Court of Common Pleas bond hearing. The scene at Monday’s hearing was notable, with Tyson’s family in attendance alongside a contingent of Canton police officers. Bobby DiCello, the attorney representing the Tyson family, asked for the court’s impartiality given the presence of more than 50 officers, as reported by

Cleveland 19

.

The case stems from a chain of events that began with Tyson’s car crashing in Canton, leading to his entrance into a nearby AMVETS club where he sought assistance. The responding Canton police participated in a struggle that ended with Tyson on the ground, handcuffed on his stomach. Body camera footage released by Canton police includes Tyson telling officers he could not breathe—a cry repeated at least seven times within a minute, as detailed by

WKYC

.

Following his arrest, Tyson was pronounced dead at a local hospital while still in handcuffs. An autopsy by the Stark County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, citing “Cardio Pulmonary Arrest in association with physical altercation and prone restraint.” Contributing factors included “Ischemic Cardio Vascular Disease and acute intoxication by cocaine and ethanol,” as well as obesity being a significant condition, as noted by

WKYC

. The next pretrial hearing for the officers has been set for Nov. 21.

Community reaction to these developments has been mixed, with some viewing the indictments as a significant step toward justice. According to a statement obtained by

News 5 Cleveland

, DiCello highlighted that this is “just one step to achieving justice for Frank and his family,” acknowledging the rarity and difficulty of obtaining such an outcome. John Tyson, Frank’s brother, expressed a sense of tempered victory, saying, “It’s not the win we was looking for, but still, just like the indictment was unexpected, and we’re gonna take this small win and build upon it and just go to the next stage and phases.”

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