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Family Of Marvin Booker Responds To City's Decision

DENVER (CBS4/AP) - DENVER (AP/CBS4) - The family of a man who died after being restrained by deputies at the Denver jail wants a federal investigation into what happened.

Relatives and supporters of Marvin Booker rallied Tuesday outside Denver's federal courthouse to ask the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI to look into his death last July.

The 56-year-old died after five deputies tried to subdue him by getting on top of him, placing him in a "sleeper" hold and shocking him with a stun gun after he had been handcuffed.

Authorities announced Monday that the deputies won't be disciplined and also released video of the scuffle. The city released video of the incident in conjunction with the announcement.

Booker's family called the decision an "outrage." They believe it's a case of excessive force and a cover-up.

"He was not fleeing, he was locked up; he was locked up behind bars, he couldn't go (anywhere)," Booker's brother Rev. Spencer Booker said. "They gang-beat him when they knocked him in the chair. They should have left him right there. No, it wasn't enough. They wrestled and took my brother down to the ground and choke-held him for 5 minutes."

The public safety department said that deputies were reasonable in believing that Booker could harm a deputy and that physical force was necessary to maintain order and discipline.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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