Lawsuit alleges Dearborn cop killed father of four by kneeling on his neck

A federal lawsuit alleges a Dearborn cop killed a 38-year-old father of four by pinning him to the ground at a motel and kneeling on his neck as he suffocated to death in September 2021.

Salvatore “Sal” Cipolloni was in mental distress and yelling for help at the Falcon Inn Motel when the manager called the police.

When officers Ashley Kusnir and Matthew Wilson arrived, they found Cipolloni barricaded behind an emergency exit door, according to the lawsuit, filed last week by civil rights attorney Jon Marko on behalf of the mother of Cipolloni’s four children. Cipolloni was making grunting noises and pleading for help.

About two minutes later, Wilson grabbed Cipolloni’s left arm and shouted, “On the ground!” Wilson grabbed the back of Cipolloni’s neck and forced him to the ground, the officers’ body-worn cameras show.

“Mr. Cipolloni was in obvious distress and kept asking to be let up,” the lawsuit states.

Wilson ignored Cipolloni’s cries for help, and Kusnir knelt on the man’s neck while holding his wrists, according to the lawsuit. At the same time, Wilson knelt on Cipolloni’s upper legs.

“Mr. Cipolloni’s breathing became obviously distressed,” the lawsuit states. “His breathing was faint. Mr. Cipolloni grasped for air.”

Two minutes after Kusnir placed her knee on Cipolloni’s neck, she checked for a pulse and claimed she found one.

Cipolloni was pronounced dead later that night, and the medical examiner determined the cause of death was not natural.

“The officers had a front-row seat to Cipolloni’s death and did not help him while Kusnir knelt on Cipolloni’s neck for over two minutes,” Marko said Monday. “They failed to render aid to Mr. Cipolloni when they should have and could have saved his life.”

The lawsuit names the two officers and the city of Dearborn and alleges excessive force, deliberate indifference, failure to intervene, and gross negligence.

The incident came more than a year after a Minneapolis cop murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck.

“This incident, as evidenced by the video footage, unfortunately shows another instance of a police officer violating an innocent individual’s civil rights,” Marko said.

Metro Times couldn’t reach Dearborn police for comment.