Body cam footage released after man dies in W.Va. State Police custody along I-81

0:00 - Bodycam 1
11:31 - Bodycam 2
23:19 - Bodycam 3
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The attorney representing the estate of a man who died in West Virginia State Police custody last February has released the body camera footage of the incident.

John-Mark Atkinson, with Atkinson and Frampton, said with approval from the man's son, he wanted to release the videos to raise awareness for more training in responding to people with mental illness.

Edmond Exline, a 44-year-old schizophrenic man, died alongside Interstate 81 in Martinsburg in February 2023. This came to light last year during the state's investigation into wrongdoings within the State Police. Governor Jim Justice called the video "very concerning." At that time, Freedom of Information Act requests for the videos were denied due to the ongoing investigation.

Now, after recently settling a lawsuit for $1 million with the State Police over Exline's death, Atkinson has released the videos that were given to him as a part of the evidence for the lawsuit.

The first video starts with a trooper responding to a call about a man walking alongside the interstate appearing to be intoxicated. When the first trooper arrives, a confrontation with Exline immediately ensues.

In the video, Exline continues to walk away while the trooper commands him to put his hands on his cruiser. Exline told the trooper he did nothing wrong.

As Exline walks back into the interstate, the trooper follows him across the road. This is when the trooper deploys a Taser and calls for backup. The trooper eventually gets Exline to the ground and holds him down.

Atkinson said the trooper's reaction of getting out of the car without asking him any questions about what he was doing and immediately yelling and pulling a gun was problematic. He said the situation escalated further as the other two troopers arrived. The bodycam footage may be viewed below.

“Certainly the most difficult to watch and listen to is when the other two officers arrive, and Edmond is already on the ground and has been tased a number of times and forced there. The other two arrive and just start attacking him in that prone position, it’s pretty brutal," Atkinson said.

In the video, you hear the troopers use expletives and command Exline to put his hands behind his back as Tasers are used throughout the struggle.

Exline repeatedly tells them he is hurt and can't breathe.

"You're trying to kill me," Exline said.

The struggle stops as a trooper gets on the radio and says that Exline has been secured. This is when Exline becomes unresponsive.

One trooper calls for EMS, and more officers arrive later. Two can be seen giving CPR to Exline. In the close-up angles, swelling and bleeding can be seen on Exline's face. There were also attempts to use Naloxone on Exline.

"He's gone," one officer said, referring to Exline.

Exline was later transported to Berkeley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to Atkinson, Exline's autopsy would later reveal the man died of blunt force trauma to the head and that he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.

The trooper who initially responded continued to tell other law enforcement on the scene there that Exline attempted to grab his gun and Taser and that Exline was difficult to take down on his own. The trooper told officers Exline was "acting crazy" and that he could see it in his eyes.

The three troopers who were wearing the three body cameras have not been criminally charged. Grant County Prosecutor John Ours was appointed as special prosecutor on the case. He presented the evidence to a Berkeley County grand jury, who chose not to indict the troopers on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Exline’s family sued the West Virginia State Police and was recently awarded $1 million in the excessive force and wrongful death lawsuit.