KRMG – by KRISTI EATONOKLAHOMA CITY — The death of a man who struggled with police outside an Oklahoma movie theater was ruled a homicide on Wednesday, but the chief medical examiner said the injuries alone didn’t cause the death.
Luis Rodriguez, 44, died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia due to physical restraint and an underlying heart condition, Amy Elliott, spokeswoman for the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.
“Postmortem examination revealed evidence of a physical struggle; however, the noted injuries and associated hemorrhages are not sufficient by themselves to cause the decedent’s death,” Elliott wrote in an email about the findings.
Early on Feb. 15, police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance outside a Moore theater and tried to question Rodriguez, Moore Police Chief Jerry Stillings has said. Rodriguez was pepper-sprayed before five officers used two pairs of handcuffs to restrain him as he was face down on the ground, Stillings said.
Rodriguez’s wife, Nair, had told media outlets that police beat her husband. Nair Rodriguez and other family members also released partial video of the incident, which showed police handcuffing Rodriguez as he lies on his stomach. He’s later placed on a stretcher.
Michael Brooks-Jimenez, a lawyer for Nair Rodriguez, said in a statement after the autopsy results were released Wednesday that they were confident the death would be ruled a homicide. He added that they are researching the medical terminology in the autopsy and will have additional statements later. He asks that the family be able to accept the news in peace.
Three Moore police officers were placed on administrative leave following the incident.
Jeremy Lewis, Moore police spokesman, said the three officers will remain on leave until the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation completes its investigation and presents the findings to the Cleveland County District Attorney.
The Cleveland County District Attorney’s office said they are aware the autopsy results have been released but are awaiting the OSBI investigation.
OSBI spokeswoman Jessica Brown said the autopsy results are just one aspect to the investigation and there is no timeline on when the investigation will be completed.
The nearly six-minute video shot by Nair Rodriguez shows five officers restraining Rodriguez face down on the ground, with one officer holding his head down. Once they have him in handcuffs, a police officer comes over and starts talking to Nair Rodriguez about the incident. She acknowledges she hit her 19-year-old daughter, and the officer explains that Luis Rodriguez became uncooperative and refused to give his ID.
Luis Rodriguez is then seen propped up in a seated position against the legs of an officer before he is placed on a stretcher.
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http://www.krmg.com/ap/ap/oklahoma/autopsy-rules-oklahoma-mans-death-a-homicide/nfQwt/
“Luis Rodriguez, 44, died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia due to physical restraint and an underlying heart condition.”
This means the cops are off the hook because they blew up his ticker with the Taser, so now his “heart problems” can take the blame.
Except that doesnt hold up for a regular person. If one were to rob a store with a gun and the clerk dies as a result of a heart attack he or she would be held responsible as first cause not the heart condition. For if he or she had not pointed a gun at him even though it might have not even been loaded that person created the stress that lead to the heart failure.
Yet it doesnt here? I wonder would that defense work for us?
Bet not!
Kinda like sayin “well ya beatin him in the head with our fists killed him, but it’s not reeeaaaalllly homicide cuz his brain was already susceptible to blunt force trauma injury before we started beatin on him”