WARNING: The following video contains strong language and footage some viewers may find disturbing.
In Winchester, Tennessee, the lack of a helping hand has sparked strong criticism of police actions after a chase that ended in a 24-year-old man’s drowning death.
On June 4, Johnny Alexander “J.J.” Baldwin led Decherd police officers on a chase into the neighboring town of Winchester after they tried to stop him for a traffic violation, officials said. Baldwin drove onto a dead-end road, jumped out, fled into some nearby trees and then ended up in a tributary of Tims Ford Lake called Boiling Fork Creek, according to police.
Baldwin, who can be seen on police body-worn camera footage treading water just a few yards off the shoreline, vanished and drowned as Decherd and Winchester officers apparently watched from the bank.
Baldwin’s family in Warrenville, Illinois, is outraged the officers didn’t try to help, and an attorney representing them claims those officers made a decision to let Baldwin drown.