BERLIN

The family of a 64-year-old Black man who died due to police brutality last week, has demanded a thorough investigation to bring those responsible to justice.

Kupa llunga Medard Mutombo died at a hospital three weeks after being brutally subdued by Berlin police officers, who attempted to move him from a mental health facility to a clinic.

His brother, Mutombo Mansamba, told Anadolu Agency that people who witnessed the incident said police officers used excessive force against him.

"My brother's nurse was standing next to the door, he saw that the police officers used force on him, and somehow my brother started to spit blood, his nose was bleeding. The nurse saw that one of the police officers had his knee pressed into my brother's neck," he said.

According to the rights group Reach Out, Kupa llunga Medard Mutombo's death was similar to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the US.

Nearly 16 police officers come to the mental health facility on that day to forcefully take Mutombo from his room, with eyewitnesses saying they failed to provide rapid first aid when he collapsed.

His resuscitation took more than 20 minutes, according to the eyewitnesses, who were there during the incident, brother Mansamba said.

"Then, they transferred my brother to a hospital in the Spandau district. On Oct. 19, he was moved to another hospital, Charite in the city center. And two days later, they called me," he recounted.

Mutombo's death was a terrible shock to family members in the Democratic Republic of Congo, his brother said, adding that it was especially very hard for him.

"We are all very sad. Very, very sad," he said, adding, emotionally, that he was the only family member who could have helped him.

"When I think that at that moment, just before he passed away, he must have been thinking of me. And must be wondering where I was, so I could help him against these sixteen police officers. When I think about it, I feel very sad," he said.

Mutombo Mansamba has underlined that the family would do everything in their power to make sure a proper investigation is launched to reveal the exact circumstances of his brother's death, to make sure that those responsible are identified and punished.

"At the moment, I can only hope that the police officers who are responsible for this will be initially suspended," he said, adding:

"The incident is now being investigated by the public prosecutor. It means that there will be a court procedure. Only after this investigation will we be able to say who was responsible for his death. And then, if we can identify him, I'd like to see him imprisoned."

Independent studies have shown that police violence and racism are often misclassified or go unreported in Germany's official statistics.

According to a study by experts at Reach Out, who have been monitoring such incidents in the country, more than 160 suspected deaths in the last 20 years are attributable to police violence. But, in none of these cases have any police officers been charged with murder or manslaughter.