Newly released police bodycam footage shows what led to an Arizona man drowning in a lake as officers allegedly ignored his repeated pleas for help.
The incident unfolded May 28 at Tempe Town Lake, near the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge in Tempe. Police responded just after 5 a.m. about an alleged fight between Sean Bickings, 34, and a woman described in reports as his wife.
"When officers arrived, they spoke to Bickings and his companion, who cooperated fully and denied that any physical argument had taken place. Neither were being detained for any offense," Tempe Police said in a statement.
The department released nearly 12 minutes of edited bodycam footage, which shows Bickings climbed over a 4-foot metal fence and entered the water as officers were checking his name for any outstanding warrants. When one of the officers asked what he was doing, Bickings responded that he was "going for a swim."
Bickings asked if he was "free to go," and an officer responded that he wasn't allowed to swim in the lake, but he jumped in anyway.
"How far do you think he's going to be able to swim?" one officer wondered aloud.
The officers stood on the boardwalk and watched as Bickings swam about 40 yards out before he started calling for help. At that point, the bodycam footage cuts out "due to the sensitive nature of the remaining portion of the recording." The police department provided a written transcript of what happened next.
"I'm going to drown. I'm going to drown," Bickings said, pleading for help.
The officers instructed Bickings to swim to a nearby pylon as one commented that he was "not jumping in after you."
"I can't touch. Oh God. Please help me," Bickings said. "Help me."
At that point, Bickings' wife started pleading with police to help him. They instructed her to tell Bickings to keep swimming while other officers requested a rescue boat.
Moments later, an officer mentions that Bickings "went underwater and hasn't come up since about 30 seconds ago."
Bickings body was recovered from the lake a few hours later.
In a city-issued statement, City Manager Andrew Ching and Police Chief Jeff Glover called Bickings' death a tragedy.
Three officers have been placed on non-disciplinary paid administrative pending a full investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the neighboring Scottsdale Police Department.
In a statement to The Washington Post, the city's police union defended the officers' actions, saying they were not trained or equipped for a water rescue.
"Moving forward, we will work for a change in how the City and [Tempe Police Department] approach potential water incidents in Tempe Town Lake, including instituting training and equipment changes," the union said.
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