CANTON, Ohio — After two Canton police officers were charged with reckless homicide in connection with the death of Frank Tyson on Friday, Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone shared the grand jury’s findings in the case.

Stone received the report from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation into Tyson’s death, leading him to present it to the grand jury earlier this week. Stone said that after deliberation, the jury chose to charge Officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch with reckless homicide, which is a third-degree felony.

2 cantonal officers indicted for the death of Frank Tyson

RELATED: 2 cantonal officers indicted for the death of Frank Tyson

With this charge, Stone said the officers could face up to 36 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

“No one is above the law, and no one is so below the law that they don’t deserve its protection,” Stone said at a news conference Saturday.

However, Stone also said the officers are still innocent until proven guilty.

You can watch Saturday’s press conference live in the player below.

‘No one is above the law’: Grand jury findings on Frank Tyson’s death shared

At the news conference, Tyson’s family attorney, Bobby DiCello, said charging the officers was a step toward achieving justice.

“We recognize that this is just one step toward achieving justice for Frank and his family in what has been a long and very difficult journey,” DiCello said. “It is extremely rare to obtain such a result. It takes strength, courage and community to stand up for yourself. We will not stop fighting for Frank and his family while relentlessly pursuing justice. »

With DiCello was a group of people who had suffered police violence, including members of Tyson’s family.

“I always thought there would be a victory in this situation; I mean, we prayed about it as a family; people prayed for us as a family,” said John Tyson, Frank’s brother. “This is not the victory we were looking for, but still, just as the indictment was unexpected, we will take this small victory and build on it to move on to the next step and phases.”

The community also showed their support during the press conference, calling it a day of celebration.

“A lot of good people in this community are putting their differences aside to try to work together to keep his name alive, because we don’t want our family members to be next,” Whillamina Jackson said.

What happened?

On the night of April 18, Tyson died after being arrested by the two township officers.

The interaction between Tyson and police began when officers responded to a car accident. Officers found a removed utility pole and a car on the side of the road with a blown airbag.

RELATED: A man dies while in the custody of the cantonal police following an accident

Witnesses told police that Tyson ran into a bar. Canton police body camera video showed police in action when Tyson knocked over a chair.

The video showed a struggle as police put Tyson on the ground, and seconds later a police officer placed a knee on Tyson’s back.

Tyson told officers he couldn’t breathe seven times. Seven minutes passed between the time Tyson was handcuffed and the time officers realized something was wrong.

The officers began performing chest compressions and administering Narcan. Tyson was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

In August, Tyson’s death was ruled a homicide.

Coroner rules Frank Tyson’s death a homicide

RELATED: Coroner rules Frank Tyson’s death a homicide

What is supine restraint?

Tyson’s cause of death was due to “cardiopulmonary arrest associated with a physical altercation and prone restraint,” according to the Stark County Coroner’s Office.

Other factors listed by the coroner included ischemic cardiovascular disease, acute cocaine and ethanol intoxication, and obesity.

Controversial arrest tactic comes to the fore in Frank Tyson case

RELATED: ‘I’m so sick of seeing videos like this’: Controversial arrest tactic comes to the fore in Frank Tyson case

Prone restraint is a controversial arrest technique where a person is left face down on the ground.

In 1995, the Department of Justice issued a bulletin to law enforcement on positional asphyxiation. He said when a suspect is lying or face down, along with other risk factors, like drugs, alcohol and obesity, it could lead to sudden death.

One of the most recognizable cases of prone restraint is that of George Floyd in May 2020. However, there are several other cases in Northeast Ohio, such as that of Tanisha Anderson in November 2014.