IRONDALE, Ala. — The family of Phillip David Reeder, 52, is demanding justice and accountability following his death during a police encounter in August 2024 — a death the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has ruled a homicide.

IRONDALE, Ala. — The family of Phillip David Reeder, 52, is demanding justice and accountability following his death during a police encounter in August 2024 — a death the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has ruled a homicide. According to his wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, Phillip repeatedly cried out “I can’t breathe” as an Irondale police officer knelt on the back of his neck for nearly three minutes.

The fatal incident occurred in the early morning hours of August 6, when police responded to reports of a man acting erratically and darting into traffic near Highway 78 and Old Leeds Road. Witnesses say Reeder appeared to be in mental or medical distress. Body camera footage reviewed by his family — but not yet released to the public — allegedly shows officers using a Taser on Reeder, pinning him face-down, and restraining him in a prone position as he gasped for air.

“He didn’t have a weapon. He didn’t commit a crime,” said Sandra Lee Reeder. “He needed help. Instead, they knelt on his neck until he stopped breathing.”

Reeder was transported to Ascension St. Vincent’s East Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, listing the cause as heart failure associated with cocaine use and physical restraint during an altercation with law enforcement. The ruling does not itself assign criminal culpability, but it has amplified public pressure on the Irondale Police Department and local officials.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is conducting an internal investigation, while Reeder’s family — represented by civil rights attorneys — is calling for criminal charges and full public release of the bodycam video. Advocates have drawn parallels between Reeder’s death and that of George Floyd in 2020, questioning the continued use of neck-based restraint techniques.

“Three minutes of pressure on someone’s neck while they beg to breathe is not policing — it’s torture,” said one of the family’s attorneys at a recent press conference.

No officers have been publicly named or placed on leave, according to current reports.