A Chicago man was killed Saturday after police say he tried to steal crayons and toothpaste at a local CVS store but was apprehended and choked to death by the store manager.
Police have not released the name of the store manager but say the victim was 35-year-old Anthony Kyser a barber affectionately known as “Pops.”
Witnesses tell the Chicago Sun Times that after being caught with the items Kyser was held in a choke hold for several minutes and was yelling,
“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”
45 minutes later he was declared dead at the city’s Mount Sinai Hospital.
A medical examiner has since ruled his death a homicide but Chicago police plan to treat his death as “accidental.”
The store manager has been put on administrative leave while police continue investigating.
