BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Friends and family of Wardel Davis, left hurt and confused following his death, gathered Wednesday evening near a makeshift memorial to express their loss over the man they knew as “Meech.”
“He never did anything wrong and was always there for everyone. He was a very good kid,” said Davis’ cousin Imani Wilkins.
The Buffalo Police Department said officers responded to the area of Hoyt Street on Tuesday night following up on a report of suspicious activity. When they approached Davis, he ran away. Following a struggle with officers, Davis was handcuffed but then un-cuffed as authorities say he experienced a medical emergency. CPR was started, but Davis died at Buffalo General Hospital. He was 20.
Girlfriend Jashalyn Washington said this leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
“He stopped breathing - that doesn't make any sense. He's 20 years old. He's 20 years old,” Washington said. “We just want to know what happened to him. I'm not going to stop until someone tells me what happened.”
A press release from civic initiative Open Buffalo demanded a swift and transparent inquiry into Davis' death. They also pushed for the revival of the city's Commission on Citizens' Rights and Community Relations as a way to be a watchdog when it comes to the behaviors and actions between police and residents.
“Nobody is going to call the police for help. No one is going to call the police when they need them," Washington said. "We're more scared of y'all then to need y'all for help."
"We're going to get over it, but it's hard right now with what's going on,” said Wilkins.
Officers Todd McAlister and Nicholas Parisi were placed on administrative leave following the incident. Internal Affairs and the state Attorney General's office are separately investigating.