The grand jury's findings in the death of Frank Tyson have been divided

CANTON, Ohio – After two Canton police officers were charged with involuntary manslaughter Friday in connection with the death of Frank Tyson, Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone shared the grand jury's findings in the case.

Stone obtained the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's report on Tyson's death and arranged for it to be presented to the grand jury earlier this week. Stone said that after deliberation, the jury decided to charge officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch with involuntary manslaughter, which is a third-degree felony.

2 Canton officers charged in death of Frank Tyson

RELATED: 2 Canton officers charged in death of Frank Tyson

With this charge, Stone said, the officers face up to 36 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

“No one is above the law and no one is so far below that they do not deserve its protection,” Stone said during a news conference Saturday.

However, Stone also said the officers were still innocent until proven guilty.

You can watch Saturday's press conference live in the player below.

'No one is above the law': Grand jury findings in Frank Tyson's death shared

During the press conference, Bobby DiCello, the attorney for Tyson's family, said the charges against the officers were a step toward justice.

“We recognize that this is just one step toward justice for Frank and his family on a long and very difficult journey,” DiCello said. “It is incredibly rare to achieve such a result. It takes strength, courage and a community to stand up for yourself. We will not stop fighting for Frank and his family as we tirelessly fight for justice.”

With DiCello was a group of people who had experienced police violence, including Tyson's family members.

“I always thought there would be a win in this situation; I mean, we prayed about it as a family; People have been praying for us as a family,” said John Tyson, Frank’s brother. “It's not the win we were hoping for, but still the charge was unexpected and we're going to take this small victory, build on it and just move on to the next stage and the next phases.”

What happened?

On the night of April 18, Tyson died after being arrested by the two Canton officers.

The interaction between Tyson and police began when officers responded to a car accident. Officers found a power pole that had been taken out and a car with a blown airbag that was parked on the side of the road.

RELATED: Man dies in cantonal police custody after accident

Witnesses told officers Tyson ran into a bar. Canton police body camera video showed police lending a hand as Tyson pushed over a chair.

Video showed a struggle as police took Tyson to the ground and seconds later an officer placed a knee on Tyson's back.

Tyson told officers he lost his breath seven times. Seven minutes passed from the time Tyson was handcuffed to the time the officers realized something was wrong.

Officers began performing chest compressions and administering Narcan. Tyson was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

In August, Tyson's death was ruled a homicide.

The coroner rules Frank Tyson's death a murder

RELATED: The coroner rules Frank Tyson's death a murder

What is abdominal fixation?

Tyson's cause of death was “cardiopulmonary arrest associated with physical altercation and abdominal restraint,” according to the Stark County Coroner's Office.

Other factors listed by the coroner included ischemic cardiovascular disease, acute cocaine and ethanol intoxication, and obesity.

The Frank Tyson case focuses on controversial arrest tactics

RELATED: “I'm so tired of seeing videos like this”: Controversial arrest tactics at the heart of the Frank Tyson case

The prone restraint is a controversial arrest technique that involves leaving a person lying face down.

In 1995, the Department of Justice issued a law enforcement bulletin on positional asphyxia. It said that lying on his stomach or face down, along with other risk factors such as drugs, alcohol and obesity, could lead to sudden death.

One of the most well-known cases of prone restraint was George Floyd in May 2020. However, there are several other cases in Northeast Ohio, such as Tanisha Anderson in November 2014.