Congolese Man Dies in Dublin After Being Restrained by Guards
Footage shows Yves Sakila moaning in distress before becoming unresponsive.
by Tom Midlane
20 May 2026
A Congolese man died after being restrained by security guards in Ireland, in an incident that has drawn comparisons to the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Footage shows Yves Sakila, 35, being pinned to the ground by multiple men on Henry Street in Dublin city centre at around 5pm on Friday, following an alleged shoplifting incident.
At one point, one of the men appears to kneel on Sakila’s neck or head. Later, a different guard presses Sakila’s head down to the ground.
After being restrained for several minutes, Sakila falls unresponsive, and one of the men appears to check his neck for a pulse.
He was later taken by ambulance to Mater Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Sakila, who had lived in Ireland since 2004, had spent the last two years as a resident at the Salvation Army’s Granby Centre.
He was regarded by staff there as a “pleasant and quiet” resident with a “deep interest in technology and sometimes attended prayer services”, the Irish Times reported.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) called for Sakila’s death to be “swiftly, thoroughly and transparently investigated” by the Garda Síochána, Ireland’s police force.
“The footage is deeply distressing and clearly shows a disproportionate and excessive use of force by people who seem to be security personnel,” the ICCL said.
More than 100 people gathered on Tuesday to call for justice for Sakila, leaving flowers by a lamppost next to the scene of the incident.
One man held a sign saying: “Justice for Yves and all victims of systematic brutality”.
A Garda spokesperson said: “The scene was preserved and has since been forensically examined. The Coroner has been notified and the Office of the State Pathologist will conduct a post-mortem examination.”
Dublin Live reported on Wednesday that the post mortem failed to determine a cause of death.
Sakila’s younger brother, Corneille, told the outlet: “The family and the entire Congolese community demands justice.”
Tom Midlane is a freelance journalist.