MORNING MIX

Man drowns as Arizona police watch: ‘I’m not jumping in after you’

By Julian Mark
June 6, 2022 at 7:31 a.m. EDT



Sean Bickings, right, drowned in the Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Ariz., after police did not jump in to rescue him, officials said. (City of Tempe )

Sean Bickings pleaded for help as he struggled to stay afloat in a reservoir in Tempe, Ariz., late last month. But Tempe police officers watched without intervening as Bickings went underwater and did not come back up, according to city officials and a transcript of body-camera footage.

“I’m going to drown. I’m going to drown,” said Bickings, 34, according to a transcript of video from the May 28 incident released by city officials. ... “Okay, I’m not jumping in after you,” an officer, identified as Officer 1 in the transcript, said moments later, after directing Bickings to grab onto a bridge.

“Please help me,” Bickings said. “Please, please, please.” ... Soon after, Bickings drowned, according to a Friday news release by city officials.

Now, three Tempe police officers have been put on “non-disciplinary paid administrative leave” as the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Scottsdale Police Department investigate the officers’ response at the City of Tempe’s request, city officials said. The city has not released the names of the officers.

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By Julian Mark
Julian Mark is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. Before joining The Post, he covered housing and policing for Mission Local in San Francisco. Twitter https://twitter.com/badjujusf