A black man’s family from Colorado has finally received closure after he died after being tased eight times. Jeffrey Melvin’s family was paid a $3.2 million settlement by the city of Colorado Springs after he passed away in 2018. Bodycam footage of the incident shows how Melvin claimed the officers were “killing” him while he was being tased.
Jeffrey Melvin tragically lost his life while being detained in 2018. “You’re honestly killing me. I can’t breathe,” the man said while he was being arrested by two Colorado Springs officers.
Officers Daniel Patterson and Joshua Archer arrived at an apartment complex after getting a disturbance call. The incident involved a man, a woman, and a 16-year-old girl.
A KRDO-TV report shares how the man had called the authorities to inform them that he had gotten into a fight with his “homeboys.” He added that he had kicked them out of the apartment following the fight.
Patterson asked the teenage girl to step out of the apartment, while Officer Archer stayed inside while questioning the man and the woman. Patterson remained in the hallway after the questioning, which was when he encountered Jeffrey Melvin.
Melvin was asked if he was going to enter the apartment, to which he answered no and proceeded to enter anyway, according to Patterson, whose bodycam was off at the moment.
The city of Colorado Springs has agreed to a $3.2 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the estate of Jeffrey Melvin Jr., a man who died in 2018 after being pepper-sprayed and repeatedly tased by Colorado Springs police. https://t.co/5MeALbPR8I
— KRDO13 (@KRDO_13) July 31, 2025
“Josh,” the officer in the hallway reportedly called out to his partner inside as a heads-up about Melvin entering. This left the man confused, asking who Josh was. Patterson then asked the man to put his hands behind his back while he shared that there was “no Josh here.”
Melvin then reportedly started resisting the arrest, while the appellate briefing revealed that “the Officers concede that Mr. Melvin did not initiate any physical contact.” The man was then tased by the two officers 8 times within 90 seconds.
“I can’t breathe,” Melvin can be heard saying in the bodycam footage. He also urged the officers to “get off” while informing them that he had asthma. He also noted how they were “killing him.”
The man was then taken to the hospital after being charged with resisting arrest and obstructing. Jeffrey Melvin died in the same hospital less than a week later. KKTV reports that the family of the late man was offered a $3.2 million settlement.
NEW: City of Colorado Springs agrees to pay $3.2 million settlement over death of man who resisted arrest for over 5 minutes
Police responded to a disturbance call on April 26, 2018
According to attorneys for Jeffrey Melvin, 27, he was not present when the initial call was made… pic.twitter.com/U9hSbtLV8M
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) July 30, 2025
“Seven years is a painfully long time to wait for justice in the wake of such a tragedy,” an attorney from the firm that represented the victim’s family noted.
The attorney went on to credit the Melvin family for bravely fighting the legal battle. “This settlement will provide opportunities for Jeff Melvin’s kids in honor of their father’s memory,” they added.
