The events that followed Brandon's arrest are shocking, horrible, and tragic.

Ellingson was taken into custody by Trooper Anthony Piercy while boating on The Lake of the Ozarks after the officer claimed to see a beer can fly off of the young man's boat.

Piercy ended up arresting Ellingson. He cuffed the college student's hands behind his back and placed an ill-fitting life vest on him.

The wrong kind of life vest. Piercy used a Type III vest on Ellingson. But that kind of vest has armholes and cannot be properly secured on someone who is already handcuffed. Type I jackets go around a person's head, so even if they are handcuffed their head will float to the surface of the water. Type I life vests are the kind which troopers are trained to use on handcuffed subjects.

They were available on Piercy's boat.