Family calls for the firing of Alameda police officers after autopsy release

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The family of Mario Gonzalez is demanding that four Alameda police officers be fired and charged for causing his death.

Alameda County Coroner's Office ruled the death a homicide Friday, saying Gonzalez died from methamphetamine combined with the stress of being restrained by police.

His family said the officers involved in the April 19 incident should be held accountable.

In a statement, Gonzalez's brother, Jerry, claimed his brother was "wrongfully murdered by the Alameda Police Department."

Edith Arenales, Gonzalez's mother, added, "It was so painful to read that those officers who were piled on top of my son broke his ribs and bruised his liver. There is a chart of all the bruises and scrapes they put on my son’s body." 

"Each detail I learn about the harm that they caused to my precious son breaks my heart a little bit more," she continued. "Mario was a kind and honorable man. He was a caretaker, and he never deserved such violence."  

Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer, who is representing Arenales, said that he will hire his own expert to review the autopsy content and to create an independent report. 

SEE ALSO: Alameda officers kneeling on Mario Gonzalez's back highlights dangers of restraint death

In an interview last week, Alison Berry Wilkinson, the attorney for the officers, called the situation "very sad" but said the autopsy clearly shows Gonzalez "died from drug toxicity."

"It was the toxic level of drugs not the actions of the officers," Berry Wilkinson said in an interview. "There’s nothing in the report that any of the techniques used by the officers were unreasonable or excessive. They did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances."

The officers involved in this case are on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

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