Inset: Sean Bickings. Background: Body camera footage shows Sean Bickings in Arizona’s Tempe Town Lake right before he allegedly drowned in front of police officers (KSAZ/YouTube).
An Arizona mother has agreed to settle a lawsuit with the city of Tempe that accused police of ignoring her son’s cries for help as he drowned in front of them. One officer allegedly told the 34-year-old, “I’m not jumping in after you,” right before he went under, according to police transcripts and body camera footage.
“I’m gonna drown!” Sean Bickings shouted as he struggled to stay afloat in Tempe Town Lake on May 28, 2022, according to his mother’s legal complaint, obtained by Law&Crime.
“No you’re not,” an officer allegedly yelled back.
“Yes I am!” Bickings replied.
“[Another officer] with no apparent urgency, told decedent Bickings to swim to a pylon,” the complaint recounted. “When decedent Bickings gasped out that he could not do that, [the officer] responded, ‘Okay. I’m not jumping in after you.'”
Court records show that the city of Tempe agreed to pay $150,000 on Monday to settle the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bickings’ mother in May 2023. Her complaint accused two police officers who witnessed the drowning of not only ignoring Bickings’ cries but also restraining and handcuffing his girlfriend when she attempted to save him. Bickings jumped into the lake during an encounter with police.
“The transcripts and unreleased [bodycam] footage … capture the defendant Tempe police officers detaining decedent Bickings’ partner, the only person on the scene displaying remotely any concern for decedent Bickings’ life,” the complaint said. “When decedent Bickings’ partner attempted to rescue him, she was physically restrained by [the officers] and handcuffed … She begged the defendant Tempe police officers to help decedent Bickings as she sat there helplessly handcuffed.”
According to the police transcript and body camera footage, one of the officers allegedly told Bickings’ girlfriend, “You need to chill out.” She responded by saying “I love him” and “please stop being so aggressive,” per the complaint.
“He is all I got,” the woman said. “I can’t lose him. He’s going to die.”
As this was all unfolding, Bickings continued to plead for someone to help him or do something to stop him from drowning, according to the complaint. “Please help me! Please! Please! Please!…I can’t touch,” Bickings allegedly shouted. “Oh God. Please help me! Help me!”
The officers at the scene never attempted to rescue Bickings “in any form,” the complaint charged. He went under soon after and drowned.
Meanwhile, 11 days earlier, officers had no problem rescuing a dog from the lake, according to the complaint. “Bodycam footage shows … two officers holding onto a good Samaritan on the banks of the canal, unconcerned with their proximity to the body of water,” the complaint said. “The defendant Tempe police officers helped to rescue a dog despite the risk of being pulled into the canal themselves. Those Officers were willing to confront that risk for a dog on May 17, 2022; but, on May 28, 2022, the involved defendant Tempe police officers did not even walk to the bank of the Tempe Town Lake while a human being drowned to death in front of them.”
Local officials released a statement after Bickings drowned, saying they would implement changes to improve their water rescue response. The city confirmed the settlement to Law&Crime on Thursday in a statement, saying, “We hope the closure of this litigation brings comfort to those who mourn his loss.”
