VIDEO. United States: “I’m not going to jump after you”, police refuse to save a homeless man from drowning

The essential A homeless man drowned in the United States under the eyes of three police officers who refused to intervene. This Monday, June 6, city authorities released footage and a transcript. The facts date back to May 28 near an artificial lake in Tempe, Arizona in the United States. As Le Figaro explains, relaying information from AFP, the police had been called because of the “uproar” caused by a couple. While the partner of Sean Bickings, 34, is questioned by the police, the latter, a “homeless” according to the press release from the city, got into the water in the lake to avoid questions from the police. The agents tell him that he is not allowed to swim, but the 30-year-old still starts swimming towards an area under a bridge. “What are you going to do now?” The images, made public this Monday, June 6, are then interrupted, the city judging the rest of the video too “sensitive”, then providing a transcription of the remarks made. “What are you going to do now?” asks an agent. “I’m going to drown. I’m going to drown,” says Sean Bickings, according to the transcript. “No, no,” replies the agent. A second policeman asks him to swim to a pylon of the bridge to hang on to it. “I can’t, I can’t,” replies Sean Bickings. “Okay, I’m not going to jump after you,” he receives in response. “You hear me ?” Despite the efforts of his companion who implores them to help him, the police refuse to intervene. Sean Bickings’ last words will be: “Can you hear me?”. His body will be fished out at the end of the morning. The three police officers have been suspended pending the investigation, said the city, which announced its intention to make public the images of the pedestrian cameras of the other officers in the coming days.