12 June 5th-June 11th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | partner, Susan Smith, were confronted by police about a domestic violence allega- tion. Both denied that any violence had taken place and said that they were just arguing. Police decided to check to see if there were outstanding warrants for Bickings, who hopped the fence and sat for a few minutes before jumping into the lake at 5:12 a.m. “I believe he was terrified of the police department,” Toro said. According to Toro’s lawsuit, Tempe police officer Jeffrey Gebbie told Bickings to swim to a pylon. When Bickings said he couldn’t, Gebbie responded by saying, “OK. I’m not jumping in after you.” Bickings began yelling for help and said that he couldn’t touch his feet to the bottom. When it became clear that the police would not save him, he called out for Smith. She tried to jump in to save him, but Officer Kelly Bennett restrained her and Gebbie handcuffed her. At 5:16 a.m., four minutes after he entered the lake, Bickings went under the water. Police did not recover his body until nearly six hours later. According to the lawsuit, the police report noted that Tempe has a police boat, but that it requires two people to operate. For that reason, it took some time for it to arrive, by which point Bickings had drowned. At 5:41 a.m., the police report noted that the boat’s operators were not able to get around a barrier in the water. Tempe enlisted the Scottsdale Police Department to review the incident. The administrative review found that officers acted correctly and should not have entered the lake to save Bickings. Demanding more Donavan Lewis befriended Bickings while both were unhoused on the streets of Tempe, though Lewis has since found housing and helps those who lack it. Bickings’ death and the circumstances that led to it still wound him. “The whole situation could have been avoided, in my eyes, if the police officer would have actually done something instead of turning around and saying, ‘I’m not jumping in to save you,’” Lewis said. “That hurt me. Seriously. You’re supposed to be serving and protecting. Why not serve him?” Toro’s lawsuit notes that just 11 days before Bickings’ death, Tempe police offi- cers helped rescue a dog from the Tempe canal. “Those Officers were willing to confront that risk for a dog on May 17, 2022,” the suit reads, “but, on May 28, 2022, the involved Defendant Tempe Police Officers did not even walk to the bank of the Tempe Town Lake while a human being drowned to death in front of them.” In addition to stronger safety measures, Toro would like to see Tempe make more efforts to help the homeless, including by addressing the warrant issue Bickings had confronted. She said city officials were ultimately unwilling to work with unhoused people to let them meet where they were comfortable to resolve warrants. “At that time, it became apparent that nothing was going to be done,” Toro said May 28. “I was given false promises to appease me and that is the reason I am here today.” Baxter-Ging said the city has had open hours at Tempe Municipal Court for warrant resolution and that it participates in the Maricopa County Regional Homeless Court. It’s unclear if those efforts began before or after Bickings’ death — Baxter-Ging did not respond to a question seeking clarification. Still, Toro noted that she and others recommended meeting with unhoused people where they felt comfortable: at shelters that provide food and have come to be trusted by an unhoused community that is deeply skeptical of law enforcement and city officials. “I would like to ask the city of Tempe to ask themselves: What if you or a family member were in the situation some of the homeless communities are in today?” Toro said. “Would you not do everything you could to make sure they had what they needed, or at least the best you could?” Bodycam footage shows the moments in which Sean Bickings spoke with officers at the edge of Tempe Town Lake. (City of Tempe) | NEWS | Demanding More from p 10
