Sedgwick County releases video of struggle that led to teen Cedric Lofton’s death
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Death of Wichita teen at Sedgwick County facility
Cedric Lofton’s foster father called authorities in September 2021 seeking help because the 17-year-old was hallucinating and needed to go to a mental health facility. Instead, police took him to the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center, where he had to be resuscitated after he was held facedown for more than 30 minutes during an altercation. He died two days later.
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Sedgwick County released surveillance video tied to the death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton on Friday afternoon, showing the Black teen’s physical struggle with juvenile detention staff in Wichita last year.
But the video — which has no audio — leaves open questions about the teen’s death. The view inside the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center cell where Lofton was detained is partially obscured by a doorway.
Four detention staffers pinned Lofton facedown in a concrete cell for approximately 35 minutes before they realized he was not breathing and did not have a pulse. It’s unclear exactly when he lost consciousness. The county employees told investigators that he continued to resist for more than 30 minutes, which Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said allowed them to continue restraining him under state law.
After release of the video, Sedgwick County’s webpage crashed, making the video inaccessible. Below are screenshots captured by an Eagle reporter before the webpage crashed, showing how the situation escalated.
After a verbal exchange in the lobby of the JIAC facility, two JIAC employees cornered Lofton and made physical contact in an attempt to escort him into a cell.
Lofton began resisting attempts to place him in a cell.
At one point, he was able to break loose of a hold and punched one of the juvenile detention employees in the face.
Detention workers eventually got him to the doorway of the cell, where he continued to resist.
They eventually wrestled him into the cell.
Two more JIAC employees responded to a call for assistance. The four employees held Lofton in a prone position for approximately 35 minutes.
The videos inside the Juvenile Detention Facility can be found here when access to the site is restored:
Some footage and language may be disturbing to viewers.
Approximately 35 minutes into the struggle, JIAC staff placed Lofton in handcuffs. Five minutes later, they found he did not have a pulse.
Bennett declined Tuesday to file criminal charges against anyone involved in Lofton’s death, citing a “stand your ground” self-defense law passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2010.
Central to the decision were statements made by detention staff to investigators. They said Lofton continued to resist their physical restraints and gave no verbal indication that he had any trouble breathing, according to a written explanation released by Bennett on Tuesday.
JIAC and juvenile detention facility workers were interviewed by investigators from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.
“The adults all report that Cedric never complained of a diminished ability to breath[e] and instead continued to make statements that led them to believe he was either under the influence of drugs or having a mental health crisis,” Bennett wrote. “The adults report that no one put their full weight on Cedric as he lay prone. The video shows the adults appear to kneel or lay down next to Cedric.”
Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter initially said “there is information that we have that Mr. Lofton may have ingested some illegal narcotics prior to the 911 call.” An autopsy later found Lofton had no drugs in his system aside from marijuana, which can stay in the body for several weeks after use. The medical examiner found drugs did not contribute to his death.
Bennett said the combination of a lengthy physical struggle and being in the prone position during the struggle caused Lofton’s death.
“Throughout the struggle there is no evidence that the workers discerned anything from Cedric, physically or verbally to indicate Cedric was in physical distress,” Bennett wrote in a written explanation of his decision.
“There is no evidence to suggest these individuals knew the damage that was being caused to Cedric’s system as they restrained him on the floor,” Bennett wrote.
“One might reasonably ask, ‘Why didn’t one of these people make the decision to simply let him up?’ — instead of holding him down for so long just to keep him from hurting one of them or himself?” he continued. “But the law dictates that they are judged by their actions not on choices not made.”
Instead of placing Lofton in handcuffs, the county employees restrained him by holding down his arms and legs, Bennett said. They didn’t place him in handcuffs until 35 minutes into the struggle. It’s unclear exactly when he lost consciousness. Five minutes after placing him in cuffs, detention staff found he had no pulse.
Lofton remained without a pulse for at least 25 minutes, according to a timeline released by Bennett. Sedgwick County EMS resuscitated him, and he died in the hospital two days later.
This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County releases video of struggle that led to teen Cedric Lofton’s death."
