Death of obese man (who assaulted police) ruled "homicide"

Fox News | 12/3/03 | Fox News

[zlala]

The Coroner just read a statement saying the direct cause of his death was the struggle with the police; or that them trying to subdue him and the struggle cause his death. Contributing factors included the drugs and his weight and heart condition.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Just saw a Fox reporter say that the guy was beat to death by the police. That is all those idiots need to riot.

[mewzilla]

Jones' death certificate will list a cause of death as an irregular heart beat because of a stress reaction from the violent struggle, Parrott said.

This is going to need some more 'splainin'.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I see Fahmy Malik was able to find a new job...

[xzins]

This is ridiculous. They're saying he had a heart attack, NOT that he was hit with a stick that caused the death.

So, then, I can be ridiculously overweight and drugged on speed, all of which endangers my heart, and then I can put my body under extreme stress by going from resting state to extreme exertion by attacking policemen, but it is their fault for my heart attack when they try to arrest me?

That is ridiculous.

Cincy is my home town although I live some miles outside it now, but this is totally ridiculous.

[mlbford2]

Well, if there is a bright side, they usually burn their own sh** down.

[Psycho_Bunny]

He said that if Jones hadn't been using cocaine and other drugs, and if he hadn't had heart disease that may have resulted from drug use, he probably would have survived the struggle.

Ok....this is now, officially, the stupidest sentence I've ever read. 

[OldFriend]

We just spent five days in Cincinnati and were there when this situation occurred.

It's a beautiful city, the supposed black boycott of downtown has resulted in very little if any economic hardship. There were many black families shopping and enjoying the lights and the skating rink at Fountain Square.

The media seems to take joy in this sad story but the citizens are surprisingly quiet.

[mewzilla]

Did this guy have a prior history of irregular heartbeat?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

How did you think he died?

The how we already knew.

Calling it a homicide was unexpected.

But we are talking about Cincinnati, after all. There hasn't been a race riot for a little while, so why not stir the pot?

[Frank_Discussion]

Ya missed my joke, I see.

[ican'tbelieveit]

I believe it was reported by the coroner that he did have prior history of heart problems.

[Samwise]

The corner also said he had a significant amount of embalming fluid in his system apparently from smoking joints dipped in the stuff

Ewwwww. Is there anything those druggies won't do?

[mewzilla]

Then how can the coroner attribute the guy's last one to the cops? Cardiology has improved apparently.

[smith288]

So he commited Suicide?

[WackyKat]

The coroner did not say the death was the "fault" of the police, he said the struggle was the primary cause of the heart failure, with the secondary causes being the drugs, obesity, and heart disease
He made a medical judgement as he should have, not a legal judgement.

[TexKat]

Coroner: Ohio Man's Death Is a Homicide

By JOHN NOLAN, Associated Press Writer

CINCINNATI - The coroner said Wednesday that a struggle with police was the primary cause in the death of a 350-pound black man whose scuffle with officers outside a fast-food restaurant has prompted outcry among black activists in Cincinnati.

Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott said Nathaniel Jones, 41, suffered from an enlarged heart, obesity and had intoxicating levels of cocaine, PCP and methanol in his blood.

Parrott said the death will be ruled a homicide, but added that such a ruling "should not be interpreted as implying inappropriate behavior or the use of excessive force by police."

Jones' death certificate will list a cause of death as an irregular heart beat because of a stress reaction from the violent struggle, Parrott said.

Activists say Jones' death was another example of brutality by Cincinnati police against blacks in a city that was rocked by race riots two years ago.

Jones died Sunday after being taken into custody in the parking lot of a White Castle restaurant. A police cruiser video camera showed Jones lunge at officers, who repeatedly hit him with metal nightsticks during the struggle.

Jones' body had bruising on the lower half, but did not show signs of blows to the head or organ damage, Parrott said.

The coroner's ruling came shortly after lawyers for Jones' family called for an independent investigation of his death, claiming the coroner has mishandled past cases.

"It's hard for me to believe anything that comes out of the coroner's office," attorney Kenneth Lawson said at a news conference.

Relatives said Jones was a loving person who never hurt anyone.

"They talk about Skip like he was an animal," said his grandmother, Bessie Jones. "He wasn't. Skipper was just a good old, fat jolly fella. He wasn't violent."

"Everyone he met, that he touched, loved him," said his aunt, Diane Payton. "He was never mean."

[mewzilla]

Was he struggling when he had his prior instances of an irregular heartbeat? I'd like to know more about how the coroner came to the conclusion that it was the struggle that caused this particular instance of the irregualr heartbeat.

[lepton]

Then how can the coroner attribute the guy's last one to the cops?

Their prescence ticked him off enough that he over-exerted himself and fought with them.

[TheOtherOne]

Homicide is of three kinds: justifiable, as when the killing is performed in the exercise of a right or performance of a duty; excusable, as when done, although not as duty or right, yet without culpable or criminal intent; and felonious, or involving what the law terms malice; the latter may be either manslaughter or murder.

[P-Marlowe]

This is NOT a homicide. A homicide is the killing of a human being by another human being. Here the man died because he overexerted himself while struggling with the police. If anything it was a suicide.