By Robert Stitt | Courtesy of Your Black Education | Thursday, December 24, 2015

Black Teacher Dies After Encounter with Security Guard ~ While many rent-a-cops may have little more than a flashlight and notepad (think Paul Blart, Mall Cop), others are fully-armed “special police” with the power to arrest. These private security agents operate on the fringes of the law and are the source of many questionable actions. George Zimmerman was an armed Neighborhood Watch patroller, private security agents are one step up the food chain.

This time, 27-year-old Alonzo Smith, a Virginian school teacher, was found unconscious in a Washington D.C. apartment complex. When the police arrived, they performed CPR and called the medics. He was declared dead after being transported to the local hospital, United Medical Center. It turns out that Smith was arrested by the apartment’s special security personnel, put in handcuffs, and left to die.

The D.C. Metropolitan Police have started an investigation into the incident, although Fox 5 News reported that the original police report listed the death as “justifiable homicide.” The investigation has been re-labeled as a “death investigation,” but Fox 5 News was not able to determine when or why the change took place.

Although the security personnel’s statement has not been released, Fox 5 was able to obtain a statement that said a man screamed, “Help! Help! They’re going to kill me!” as he ran down a second-floor hallway. The D.C. police arrived after a call came in for an “assault in progress.” How Smith ended up handcuffed, unconscious, and not breathing after his encounter with the security team is anyone’s guess at this time. Information has not been released that states if Smith was a resident of the complex where he died.

According to The Root, while the family’s attorney has not been given access to the autopsy report or been able to view the body, she said Smith had been beaten.

Smith spent his last years as a teacher in Virginia and had recently written a book of poetry. His mother has set up a GoFundMe page to offset funeral expenses.

Source: Va. Teacher Found Handcuffed and Unconscious in Custody of Special Police Dies at Hospital