The autopsy found he died from cardiac arrest while law enforcement restrained him with “back compression.”
By Lydia Fielder – WSMV – Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A year after 33-year-old Daniel Russell died during an attempted arrest in Henry County, Tennessee, his family is demanding answers — and accountability.
A newly filed federal civil rights lawsuit alleges that law enforcement officers used excessive force while trying to restrain Russell after a low-speed pursuit in April 2024. Body camera footage shows Russell resisting arrest while pleading with officers, telling them he had heart problems, and ultimately going unresponsive after being held face-down on the ground for nearly four minutes.
Daniel’s father, Danny Russell, spoke exclusively with WSMV4, describing watching his son’s final moments on bodycam video.
“His last 12 minutes on this earth was just unbearable,” Danny said. “I don’t want anyone to ever have to go through this.”
The autopsy found he died from cardiac arrest while law enforcement restrained him with “back compression.”
On April 20, 2024, just before noon, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said it received multiple 911 calls about a reckless driver. Deputies located the car on Highway 79 North and followed it for several minutes after it would not pull over. According to a later Facebook post by Sheriff Josh Frey, “The vehicle was observed driving in the grass median. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle and the vehicle fled from them inbound toward Paris on the wrong side of the road.”
The post said, “One officer pulled in front of the vehicle, and one officer was behind the vehicle. The vehicle then accelerated forward into the side of a Henry County Sheriff’s patrol unit. This disabled the vehicle, and officers were then able to talk Daniel Russell out of the vehicle.”
A Tennessee family is suing law enforcement officers after a man died during an arrest attempt in April 2024.
The video shows Russell exiting the vehicle with his hands raised. Officers can be heard shouting commands with their weapons drawn. For the next nine minutes, Russell is seen resisting arrest, visibly panicked, repeatedly begging the officers not to tase him or take him into custody.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Facebook post said officers “then used less lethal options to bring Mr. Russell under control.” The video shows officers deploying tasers multiple times and pepper-spraying him. Just under eight minutes after he gets out of the car, four officers get Russell’s hands cuffed behind his back. The video shows officers forcibly holding Russell face-down, with officers applying weight to his back. Russell continues to resist.
After nearly four minutes of being restrained face-down, Russell becomes unresponsive. Officers administer two doses of Narcan, assuming a drug overdose, but never attempt CPR. They called EMS to take Russell to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy exclusively obtained by WSMV later ruled Russell’s death a homicide caused by “cardiopulmonary arrest during law enforcement subdual and restraint with back compression”. The report noted substances in Russell’s system — including methamphetamine, mitragynine, and dimethylamylamine — as well as obesity, may have contributed to his death.
Danny Russell, Daniel’s father, said Daniel suffered a heart attack several years ago.
Christopher Smith, the civil rights attorney representing the Russell family, said the use of force was excessive and unjustified.
“No, he was not, in our view, a threat at that time,” Smith said. “And the force that was used to restrain him was excessive under the circumstances.”
The lawsuit accuses officers of ignoring Russell’s visible signs of distress and failing to reposition him to allow him to breathe. It also faults Henry County for inadequate training on the risks of positional asphyxia — risks well-documented in law enforcement for years and brought to the forefront of public awareness after the 2020 death of George Floyd.
“Something good has to come out of this.”
Danny Russell now helps raise his son’s teenage daughter.
“I just don’t want him to die for no reason,” he said. “Something good has to come out of this, some kind of reform.”
He described his son as someone who had problems with drug use in the past.
“He’d been clean and working hard, going to meetings, being with his daughter,” Danny said. “It was just uncalled for the amount of force that was applied to his back while in prone position.”
Danny said he hopes this lawsuit sparks a change in how officers across Tennessee are trained in use-of-force and medical response. They say they are seeking justice and the assurance that no other family will have to watch a loved one die the way Daniel did.
The lawsuit names two Henry County Sheriff’s deputies and two Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) officers. A TWRA spokesperson told WSMV4 they will not comment on ongoing litigation but confirmed the officers were placed on administrative leave during an internal review and have since returned to active duty.
Read the full statement from the TWRA below:
“The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is aware of a lawsuit in which two TWRA law enforcement officers are named as defendants. The incident occurred while the officers were assisting a local Sheriff’s Office. As this matter is currently in litigation, the Agency will not comment on the specifics of the case. TWRA will work closely with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office to support the legal defense of its employees.” – Emily Buck, Director of Public Relations for the TWRA
1 thought on “West Tennessee family seeks justice after man dies during attempted arrest”
As a 73 year old driver with thyroid disease & hypertension, it is concerning. Seems everyone Assume He was on Drugs, maybe had early dementia or dizzy from heart. Don’t know… but all of we Senior Citizens are not stoned or drunk.