62 Year old grandfather on vacation dies in Florida police custody

The Daily Mail ^ | 01/12/2012 | Lee Moran

[Duke of Qin]

A mentally ill grandfather died after police officers strapped him naked to a chair, smothered him with a 'spit hood' and pepper-sprayed him 10 times during a 43-hour ordeal, it has been claimed.

Nick Christie, 62, was allegedly tortured in the 'Devil's Chair' at Lee County jail after being detained by Florida police officers in March 2009 following a 'mental breakdown'.

The hood, designed to stop him from spitting at officers, meant he could not escape the noxious spray's fumes - and he was never allowed to clean the residue from his body.

His family is now suing Lee County Sheriff's Department for 'wrongful death'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085628/Nick-Christie-Mentally-ill-prisoner-strapped-Devils-Chair-pepper-sprayed-death.html#ixzz1jSkweFsk

[tupac]

Maybe the sheriff hired former marines? I dunno, did they pee on him too?

[elkfersupper]

Seems to be murder by cop but as always the DA protects the law breakers. Local DA should never be allowed to investigate local cops. Investigation of cops should be out of the governors and state attorneys office.

Of another state, where all of the above are members of a different political party.

[elkfersupper]

Hopefully the feds will step in and arrest some of these goons for murder.

Okay, now I'm laughing. What makes you think the feds are any better humans?

[mongo141]

” Why the hell do we need to go to the British press to get any news any more ?’

Because Las, Our P/C commie oriented Media is afraid to offend Anyone and is busy serving themselves and their master in the white Hut!

[mongo141]

” Why the hell do we need to go to the British press to get any news any more ?’

Because Las, Our P/C commie oriented Media is afraid to offend Anyone and is busy serving themselves and their master in the white Hut!

[Cacique]

They must think highly of us in the foreign press that they publish this stuff and our press not even a peep..

[Scotsman will be Free]

The coroner didn’t make a determination of murder, but of homicide.

[TigersEye]

A mentally ill grandfather died after police officers strapped him naked to a chair, smothered him with a 'spit hood' and pepper-sprayed him 10 times during a 43-hour ordeal, it has been claimed.

But water boarding a head-chopping terrorist is "torture."
We should do the above to the majority of our politicians.

[Clintonfatigued]

I support the police, but not police misconduct.

[TXnMA]

"The “officers” involved in this killing need to be charged with this man’s murder, prosecuted, found guilty and sent to jail for a very long time."

43 hours of torture in a special chair? How much more aggravated and premeditated can murder get?

Death.

[BerryDingle]

They are a well respected agency often working side by side with the feds.A case like this is right up their alley.

Right up until Eric (race card) Holder, I would agree with you.

[Respond Code Three]

"Which can look the same as a meth user!"

Maybe, but I don't see anything that suggested that even the police suspected him of using meth.

[Mears]

Beautiful animals.

[Respond Code Three]

"The fact is when a ruling of homicide is given that means somebody killed the victim, whether it was justified or not, natural deaths are not ruled homicides. Since this could hardly be called justifiable homicide(or are you saying these cops were in the right to kill this old man?)then it must be murder or man slaughter at the very least"

Homicide is a ruling the Coroner makes when a person dies at the hands of another person. In this case, the Coroner ruled that the man died at the hands of the police. I support the Coroner's opinion.

There is nothing in the article, nor in my posts, that suggests that this incident is a justifiable homicide. Justifiable homicide would be the ruling by the local DA if the police showed that they were in fear of great bodily harm or death. Nothing in the article, nor in my posts, suggests that the police were in fear of great bodily harm or death.

For a charge of murder of manslaughter to be brought, the local DA, the State DA, or the Federal DOJ would have to file the charges. Since there is no statute of limitations on murder, charges can be filed years from now. I don't know the statute of limitations in Florida for manslaughter, but I suspect that this case is still within the statutory time limit for such a charge to be filed.

[donna]

I just meant that it must be difficult to identify mental illness versus any drug use. It can look the same.

[Yorlik803]

Thanks. I thought I was the only one here who defended Good Police officers.
Good to see I am not alone.

[Impy]

(Bleep)ing shameful.

[Impy]

Nobody does it better?

[Respond Code Three]

I defend good police officers. A lot of them that I worked with have passed on now, and I remember them when they were younger. Some were my supervisors, some were my co-workers. Good men and women.

[Respond Code Three]

Yes, it can look the same. A meth user who hasn't slept for a few days can be psychotic, and very dangerous.

If a DRE is available and if a suspected mental patient can be examined, the DRE can check for signs of drug use, and even if the person has mental problems, a DRE can determine if the person is under the influence of drugs like meth, coke, PCP, marijuana, LSD, certain inhalants, and opiates like heroin. (DRE = Drug Recognition Expert) If a DRE were to examine a person and found no signs of drug abuse, but the person is still exhibiting bizarre behavior, the best course of action is to take the person to a hospital and have the mental health personnel examine him. Naturally, not all officers are DREs, and not agencies have them anyway. IMO, police departments should have as many of them as they can get the training for.