CLEVELAND — In an emotional press conference Saturday afternoon, attorney Bobby DiCello, members of Frank Tyson's family and other community activists addressed a grand jury's decision to indict Canton police officers Camden Burch and Beau Schoenegge with reckless homicide in Tyson's death.
"Now we know who the bad guy is, and it wasn't Frank," said DiCello, whose firm, DiCello Levitt LLP, is representing Tyson's family. "It's official. The indictment tells you who to focus on now. The narrative has changed."
Speaking after Stark County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle L. Stone confirmed the indictment in a separate press conference, DiCello told assembled media and community members that "this is not the time to criticize and condemn."
"This is the time to celebrate and uplift the name of Frank Tyson," DiCello said. "This is the time to acknowledge that some step of justice has been taken on a very long and painful journey."
Stone said his office reviewed the findings from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's probe into Tyson's death and presented the evidence to the grand jury earlier this week. DiCello praised Stone for his handling of the case.
"The prosecutor for Stark County acted with courage by bringing these charges to the grand jury," DiCello said. "Our system requires that each of you ... take it seriously and do vote — do take an active role in your local political systems. Because this is how justice actually works. It works through acts of courage, acts of integrity, and ... acts of kindness."
Thomas West, CEO of the Greater Stark County Urban League, spoke at the press conference and called for Burch and Schoenegge to be fired from their posts with the Canton Police Department. He also called for several measures of reform within the department.
West urged the city of Canton to adopt a "comprehensive de-escalation policy" and mandatory implicit bias training from an expert independent of the police department. He said the Urban League is also calling for the city to adopt Congresswoman Emilia Sykes' (D-Akron) proposed Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-escalation Act of 2024.
"Furthermore, we urge that the city implement all principles of the realignment of policing, including the establishment of a community policing advisory council board," West said.
At the press conference, DiCello was joined by several other community members and leaders, including Stark County NAACP President Hector McDaniel and Cassandra White, the mother of Zachary Fornash, who was fatally shot by a Canton officer last year. In September, a grand jury declined to indict officer Garret Marino in Fornash's death.
You can watch the entire press conference below: