Autopsy finds Indiana man died of natural causes after being handcuffed, pinned by police
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Indiana father of two who died after being handcuffed and pinned on a floor by sheriff's police following a seizure in September died of natural causes, according to the Lake County Coroner.
Rhyker Earl, 26, died of cardiovascular disease, an enlarged heart, and cardiac arrest, according to the coroner's office. A forensic autopsy found no evidence of trauma.
Earl suffered a seizure on Sept. 8 at a home in DeMotte, Indiana, about 60 miles southeast of Chicago. His grandmother called 911 for help, and Jasper County, Indiana Sheriff's officers came to the home. The family said when Earl was still recovering from his seizure, he was confused and agitated and fell into an officer.
The family said officers responded by handcuffing Earl and pinning him face-down on the floor, then stayed on top of him while EMTs sedated him.
Earl's aunt, Miracle Gawlinski, said he pleaded for his life as officers pinned him to the floor.
"He was still face down in a pillow, handcuffed, officers on top of him, administering sedatives for a lengthy period of time while I was there, begging, pleading, crying: 'I can't breathe! Help me!'" Gawlinski said.
After about 15 minutes, Earl went limp, and Gawlinski said she noticed Earl was turning blue. An EMT took his pulse, and he was not breathing, she said. Officers tried to revive Earl, but it was too late.
Earl was taken to the hospital off life support and died on Sept. 10.
Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson Sr. has said his officers followed proper training when they handcuffed Earl, and claimed the family's attorneys "gaslit the community" with falsehoods.
"Deputies placed Mr. Earl in handcuffs for his safety and that of the medical providers," Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson Sr. said in a statement. "Mr. Earl was in an excited state and did not respond to pleas from deputies or his family to remain calm."
Williams said the video captured on officers' body-worn cameras showed that officers put a pillow under Earl's head to prevent injury. Earl's breathing was not restricted, he said.
"The video clearly shows deputies were restraining Mr. Earl by his legs, arms, and shoulders," Williamson said. "Per training, deputies were holding him in such a way that would not restrict breathing, and Mr. Earl was vocalizing during the entire incident."
Body camera footage released in late September shows a sheriff's deputy entering the house — where other deputies are inside and Earl is heard saying, "Leave me the f*** alone." Earl's grandmother is then heard telling the deputies that her grandson has been suffering from seizures.
A deputy is then heard yelling at Earl, who by this time is in another room: "Don't f***ing touch the medics! You're going to the hospital, all right? Don't f***ing hit them! You understand? You don't f***ing hit them!"
Later in the video, Earl can be seen in handcuffs face down on the kitchen floor, being pinned into place by multiple deputies and medics. Earl shrieks repeatedly, "Guys! Please!" and also says more than once, "I'm going to die!" One of the first responders is also seen injecting Earl with something twice.
The video shows Earl's grandmother present in the kitchen, as she tells him the first responders and deputies are trying to help him. He is ultimately quiet as he is loaded onto a spineboard.
The sheriff's office said Earl can be seen in the video banging his head on the floor, at which time deputies placed a pillow under his head to prevent him from injuring himself. The sheriff said the officers deliberately placed Earl in a position that would not restrict his breathing.
But attorneys from Earl's family said as soon as officers and EMTs arrived, the situation escalated. They said Earl was confused and still recovering from the seizure when he was handcuffed face down.
Earl's family has called for major policy changes at the sheriff's office, arguing no other family should have to experience such heartache.
"He was having a medical crisis. They did what most people in America would do. They called 911. They needed a helping hand. They didn't need a death sentence," family attorney Ben Crump said days after the body camera footage was released.
The family also has accused officers of using excessive force.
"He went through torture, and he just needed some help for a seizure. I don't understand, I'll never understand, but we need change," said Earl's grandmother, Sharon Krause-Earl.
The Jasper County Prosecutor's office and Indiana State Police were investigating Earl's death and the sheriff's office's handling of the incident.
The family has not yet filed a lawsuit over his death.
