The first time John Elliott Neville's name appeared on the front pages of the Winston-Salem Journal was on June 27, seven months after his death.Â
At the beginning of the summer, Winston-Salem, like the rest of the country, witnessed people pouring out into the streets, angered at the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who died on May 25 after a white police officer placed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd was unarmed and lying on the ground, handcuffed.Â
He is seen on a cellphone video, saying the words, "I can't breathe."Â
John Neville said the same phrase at least 28 times over a three-minute period, as he lay on his stomach in a jail cell while detention officers piled on top of him in an attempt to remove his handcuffs. His feet were tucked up toward his buttocks. On July 8, the five detention officers and a nurse were charged with involuntary manslaughter â Lt. Lavette Maria Williams, 48; Cpl. Edward Roussel, 51, Officer Christopher Bryan Stamper, 43; Officer Antonio Woodley Jr., 26; Officer Sarah Elizabeth Poole, 37; and nurse Michelle Heughins, 45. The criminal cases are pending.Â