Lake County coroner’s office says death of man in police custody was ‘natural causes’
Nov 15, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The coroner’s office in Lake County says the death of a man in police custody was due to natural causes.
Police body camera video shows officers and medics in Jasper County holding down 26-year-old Rhyker Earl and injecting him with sedatives. Earl was having a medical emergency when officers were called to his home in September.
His family said in late September that Earl died after having two seizures.
An autopsy report released Thursday shows Earl died from cardiac arret caused by a cardiovascular disease.
The office of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Earl’s family in a lawsuit, said in a release that the coroner’s report “fails to address the physical interaction with law enforcement shortly before — interactions captured on body camera footage and witnessed by his family.”
“It is deeply troubling that, despite Rhyker Earl’s pleas for help while in the midst of a medical emergency, he was restrained and sedated in front of his family in a manner that raises serious questions,” Crump said in a statement.
Crump says the family’s legal team has requested the coroner’s complete file and will have it reviewed by an independent forensic pathologist.
“Our investigation will also focus on the actions of police officers who escalated a medical emergency by restraining Rhyker face down in handcuffs for an extended period, as well as the actions of EMTs, who administered sedatives without monitoring his vital signs,” Crump added.
Indiana State Police are also investigating Earl’s death.
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Death of man in police custody was due to natural causes, coroner’s office says
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