Two Georgia nurses and an aide have been indicted in the death of an elderly World War II veteran after they were caught on camera laughing as the man gasped for air and pleaded for help.
Authorities launched a criminal investigation in November after details and video were obtained by WXIA. The information was originally included as part of a lawsuit filed by the family of James Dempsey against Northeast Atlanta Health and Rehabilitation Center.
The video, which was taken February 27, 2014, showed Dempsey gasping for air and calling for help more than six times before losing consciousness.
After finding Dempsey unresponsive at 5:28 a.m., nurses waited nearly an hour to call 911 at 6:25 a.m.
During that hour, video shows nurses failing to help administer aid to Dempsey and laughing as they struggled to get his oxygen machine to work, the outlet reports.
Nursing supervisor Wanda Nuckles testified at a deposition that when she discovered Dempsey was not breathing she rushed to his room, took over CPR and kept going until the paramedics arrived.
Nuckles was then confronted with the hidden camera video that shows she did nothing when she first arrived at Dempsey’s room.
“Sir, that was an honest mistake,” Nuckles said in the deposition obtained by WXIA, “I was just basing everything on what I normally do.”
When asked why she was laughing about the oxygen machine not working, she told the family’s attorney she did not remember that.
The nursing home tried to stop WXIA from getting and releasing the videos but a DeKalb County judge refused to seal the footage
After WXIA went public, Brookhaven Police launched an investigation, which led to a grand jury handing down indictments Wednesday against two nurses and an aide, the outlet reports.
Loyce Pickquet Agyeman is charged with felony murder and neglect to an elder person.
