Cornelius Fredericks
Cornelius Fredericks was a 16-year-old held at Lakeside Academy, a juvenile facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that housed youth in foster care and on probation. According to prosecutors, staff restrained him in the cafeteria on May 1, 2020, and he died after crying out that he could not breathe. Three employees have faced criminal proceedings, and his family's civil lawsuit says staff smothered him during the restraint. Advocates have described his death as a Black child's death at the hands of the system, and his family is seeking damages.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Prosecutors charged three staff members over his death during a physical restraint, and his family's civil lawsuit says staff smothered him while restraining him in the cafeteria; the official account of the death is contested by the family and lawsuit.
Reported by: prosecutors; his family's civil lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family is pursuing a civil lawsuit over his death, and three Lakeside Academy staff members have faced criminal proceedings.