RENSSELAER, Ind. (WISH-TV) — Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson Sr. says the attorney for Rhyker Earl’s family is “gaslighting” the community into believing his deputies did something wrong during the incident that ended in Earl’s death. Earl died September 8th after his family called 911 for a medical emergency. Earl had suffered his second seizure of the day. His attorneys claim Earl fell over into a deputy during his post-seizure haze and that a deputy then said, “You don’t treat law enforcement that way” before handcuffing Earl and pinning him to the ground with his face in a pillow, restricting his breathing. In a statement to WISH-TV, Sheriff Williamson disputed those claims. “In the body-worn camera video, Mr. Earl is seen forcefully banging his head on the floor,” Sheriff Williamson wrote in the release distributed by Indiana State Police. “Deputies immediately asked the family for a pillow and placed it under his head to prevent Mr. Earl from injuring himself. His head was lying on the pillow; his breathing was not restricted. In addition, the video clearly shows deputies were restraining Mr. Earl by his legs, arms, and shoulders. Per training, deputies were holding him in such a way that would not restrict breathing, and Mr. Earl was vocalizing during the entire incident. Deputies also placed Mr. Earl on his side, also known as the ‘recovery position’.” Sheriff Williamson also claimed Earl was not under arrest but was placed in handcuffs “for his own safety” during the medical emergency. “Mr. Earl was in an excited state and did not respond to pleas from deputies or his family to remain calm. Sadly, Mr. Earl ultimately became unresponsive, was taken to the hospital, and later passed away.” The sheriff’s statement also criticizes the attorneys for the Earl family for spreading what he calls inaccuracies about what happened. “In an apparent attempt to set the table for a civil claim, he has gaslit this community and the nation with gross falsehoods concerning the actions of our deputies.” Sheriff Williamson said his department will release the body camera video of the incident once the Indiana State Police complete their investigation.