Attorney general reviewing 2014 case of man killed by Northland mall security after George Floyd death

FOX 2 - McKenzie Cochran's family has been living without justice since 2014. That was when their loved one died inside the now-closed Northland Mall in Southfield after security guards knelt on his back. 

Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper never charged them. But now they have new hope as the Michigan attorney general is looking into the case.

"I can't breathe," said Cochran, who can be heard on video.

These are the final heartbreaking moments of McKenzie Cochran's life. Security guards knelt on the 25-year-old's back as he repeatedly screamed "I can't breathe." 

Cooper did not press charges back in 2014. At the time she said the guards were poorly trained, but there was no criminal intent. She also believed she couldn't win the case. 

That decision devastated Cochran's brother Michael, who lost his best friend. 

"I was confused, I was upset, I was angry due to the lack of training and the security guards involved," Michael Cochran said. "And even more so confused when they failed to bring charges." 

The cause of death was position compression asphyxia, but was ruled accidental. Now after national outcry over George Floyd's death,
- Cochran's case is getting a new look. This time by Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel.

In a statement Nessel says, "My office will conduct a thorough and comprehensive review of this case to determine whether any additional action should have been taken in response to Mr. Cochran's death. If the evidence warrants additional action, we will make efforts to ensure justice is served."

"I was speechless but after I could think about it a little bit more, I was definitely optimistic for the future," Michael Cochran said.

"Had this case been prosecuted six years ago, and it made national TV, and everyone saw that when somebody says they can't breathe and you hold them down and then they die, you're going to be charged," said the family's attorney Gerald Thurswell. "Maybe if the public knew that six years ago, maybe the Floyd case would have been avoided."

Thurswell was outraged with Cooper's original decision, he believes the guards should be charged with involuntary manslaughter. 

"There's no reason to not let him up, just let him up a little bit so he could get air into his lungs," Thurswell said.

Now as Cochran's family anxiously waits to see what becomes of the investigation, they are hopeful his death brings future change. 

"People are beginning to hear our voices," Michael Cochran said. "It doesn't just stop here."

FOX 2 reached out to Jessica Cooper's office and are waiting to hear back.