Alonzo Ashley (1982-2011)

October 18, 2017 
/ Contributed By: Euell A. Dixon

Alonzo Ashley

Alonzo Ashley

Fair use image

Twenty-nine-year-old Alonzo Ashley was killed during a struggle with police officers at the Denver Zoo in Colorado. The Coroner ruled his death a homicide, meaning Ashley died at the hands of others. The questionable circumstances around Ashley’s death were one of numerous cases that helped inspire the national Black Lives Matter movement founded in 2013.

On July 18, Alonzo Ashley was at the Denver Zoo with his girlfriend, who was identified only as Elana. At around 5 p.m., Ashley began showing signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. He sat down on the ground by the elephant exhibit and soon afterward appeared to be unconscious. His condition caused a Zoo security guard to raise an alarm and approach Ashley. At first, Ashley was unresponsive, but after a few minutes, he got up, claimed he was just hot, and wanted to be left alone. He then walked over to a drinking fountain. Ashley put his head under the fountain to cool off, and the security guard asked him to stop. Confused by the guard’s request and his recent unconscious status, Ashley acted out angrily against the guard. He began throwing trash cans around and behaving erratically. This sudden change in his behavior caused the guard to call 911.

As the guard was calling the police, Ashley began to chase the Zoo officer and beat him with his fists before returning back to his girlfriend, Elena. Eight Denver Police officers arrived on the scene, and one used a taser gun to restrain Ashley, as he was not responding to their requests. Ashley was then wrestled to his stomach by the officers. To restrain him, they crossed Ashley’s legs and pressed them towards his buttocks. Then they placed him in cuffs. Ashley began to convulse and then stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ashley’s death was later determined to be cardio-respiratory arrest, possibly brought on by dehydration, overheating, and exertion from the struggle with the eight police officers and the force of restraint used against him. The eight officers involved in the case were never disciplined, and in January 2012, they were officially cleared of any wrongdoing. One year later, in 2013, the city of Denver agreed to pay Ashley’s family $295,000 in damages as a result of their wrongful death suit. The Ashley family continues to petition for a water fountain at the Zoo dedicated to Alonzo Ashley’s memory.

About the Author

Author Profile

Multiple business owner Euell Dixon (formerly Nielsen) was born on November 3, 1973, in Sewell, New Jersey. The youngest daughter of scientist and author Eustace A. Dixon II and Travel Agent Eleanor Forman, Euell was an early reader and began tutoring at The Verbena Ferguson Tutoring Center for Adults at the age of 13. She has owned and operated five different companies in the past 20 years including Show and Touch, Stitch This, Get Twisted, Dimaje Photography, and Island Treazures.

Euell is a Veteran of the U.S. Army (Reserves) and a member of the Order of Eastern Star, House of Zeresh #103. She is also the 3rd Historian for First African Presbyterian Church, the nation’s oldest African American Presbyterian church, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additionally, Euell is also a photographer, storyteller, fiber artist, and a historical re-enactor, portraying the lives of Patriot Hannah Till, Elizabeth Gloucester, and Henrietta Duterte. Euell has been writing for Blackpast.org since 2014 and was given an award from the site in 2016 for being the only African American female who had almost 100 entries at the time. Since then, she has written over 300 entries. Euell currently lives in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Dixon, E. (2017, October 18). Alonzo Ashley (1982-2011). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ashley-alonzo-1982-2011/

Source of the Author's Information:

P.N. Wharrison, “Coroner: Death of man at Zoo was homicide,” October 22, 2011, TheDenverChannel.com, http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/coroner-death-of-man-at-zoo-was-homicide; Michael Roberts, “Alonzo Ashley, No charge for eight cops in Denver Zoo death,” Westwood.com, January 30, 2012, http://www.westword.com/news/alonzo-ashley-no-charges-for-eight-cops-in-denver-zoo-death-5865059; Noelle Phillips, “Denver agrees to pay Alonzo Ashley’s family over 2011 death at Zoo,” The Denver Post, April 4, 2016, http://www.denverpost.com/2016/04/04/denver-agrees-to-pay-alonzo-ashleys-family-over-2011-death-at-zoo/.

Discover More