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Caption: Top: Salvatore "Sal" Cipolloni and his four children; Left: Body cam footage of Officer Ashley Kusnir restraining Cipolloni (Court records). Right: the Falcon Inn Motel.
A federal lawsuit filed last week alleges that Dearborn cops killed a 38-year-old father of four by pinning him to the ground, kneeling on his neck and suffocating him to death at a motel on Sept. 23, 2021, Metro Times reports.
The suit, filed on behalf of the estate of the deceased man, Salvatore "Sal" Cipolloni, names officers Ashley Kusnir and Matthew Wilson and the city of Dearborn. It alleges excessive force and accuses the city of failing to train officers properly in cases of emergencies involving citizens.
The incident began, according to the suit, around 8:45 p.m. when police responded to a call from the manager at the Falcon Inn Motel in the 25100 block of Michigan Avenue.
The suit said Cipolloni was yelling for help near room 39. Officer Wilson found Cipolloni barricaded behind an "exit only" door.
"Mr. Cipolloni was in obvious distress, making grunting noises and asking for help," the suit says.
Two minutes after Wilson arrived, Cipolloni stepped away from the door, allowing the officer to enter the emergency exit stairway, the suit said.
The suit alleges that officer Wilson immediately grabbed Cipolloni’s left arm and shouted, "on the ground."
"Defendant Wilson then grabbed the back of Mr. Cipolloni’s neck and forced Mr. Cipolloni to the ground," the suit said. "Defendant Wilson placed his knee and body weight onto Mr. Cipolloni’s back. Mr. Cipolloni was in obvious distress and kept asking to be let up. Defendant Wilson ignored Mr. Cipolloni’s cries for help."
About two minutes later, officer Ashley Kusnir arrived.
The suit alleges that the officers pinned Cipolloni facedown while officer Kusnir kneeled on his neck and held his wrists. Wilson then kneeled on his upper legs.
The officers handcuffed Cipolloni and Kusnir knee remained on Cipolloni's neck while his breathing became "obviously distressed," then faint, the suit said.
Two minutes after Kusnir placed her knee on Cipolloni's neck, she checked for a pulse. Officer Wilson then requested Narcan, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Two minutes later someone arrived with the drug.
Cipolloni died that night.
The suit alleges that the city of Dearborn failed to:
- Properly train officers to evaluate whether a citizen needs medical treatment, especially with regard to acute drug intoxication and/or overdose.
- Timely administer Narcan.
- Timely request medical help to transport Mr. Cipolloni to a hospital who was equipped with dealing with mental health crises.
The Police Department said Tuesday that it cannot comment on pending litigation.
