New York man dies in police custody, family suspects he was killed
Published time: February 28, 2013 01:51
TagsLaw, Police, USAThe family of a Western New York man who died after being stun with a Taser gun while in police custody plans to sue over the ideal.The estate of Richard Metcalf tells WIVB News that they have
filed a notice of claim against Erie County and the Depew, New York
Police Department. Metcalf, 35, died in November after suffering a
massive heart attack while in the custody of the Erie County
Sheriff’s jail division.”I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to know the truth.
I want to know what happened. I think his mother and I deserve to
know what happened,” the victim’s father, Richard Metcalf, Sr.,
tells WIVB.The younger Metcalf was in police custody at the time of his
death because he had been arrested days earlier by a Depew police
officer called to respond to a burglary in progress. He was shot
with a Taser during the ordeal and taken to the Erie County Medical
Center shortly after due to an elevated heart rate, but was then
transported to a holding center. Once back in a cell, police say he
started acting erratically.”He was spitting blood at the officers as they were trying to
de-escalate the situation,” Holding Center Superintendent
Thomas Diina told WIVB. “It was reported that he was poking
himself with a fork, raking his face across the bars in front of
his cell in order to get his mouth bloody so that he could spit at
the officers.”Metcalf’s family disputes that claim, though, and suspects foul
play.”My personal opinion is that he was severely beaten. There’s
no other explanation. There’s no other logical explanation for
that. If you can imagine your child like that after you just saw
him,” his father told the network last year while holding back
tears.After officers in the holding cell composed Metcalf, he was
taken once again to the medical center where he died shortly
after.Share on Tumblr … Read More
