Indianapolis officers on leave after man dies during response to mental health call

Numerous Indianapolis law enforcement officers have been placed on go away pending an investigation into a man’s death following a mental overall health crisis contact.

The gentleman, whom the Marion County Coroner’s Business office discovered as Herman Whitfield III, 39, died early Monday immediately after police utilized a stun gun on him and had him handcuffed. A bring about and the method of demise were being not nonetheless accessible, the coroner’s business office explained Tuesday.

Officers have been named to a house on Marrison Spot at around 3:20 a.m. and were being knowledgeable by Whitfield’s father that Whitfield was “acquiring a psychosis” and required an ambulance, law enforcement mentioned in a information launch.

As police asked for an ambulance, they observed Whitfield walking about the residence naked, sweating and bleeding from the mouth, in accordance to the release.

“Officers started to converse with the male to put together him for transportation by ambulance,” the news launch states, but Whitfield “moved to spots of the dwelling wherever officers lost sight of him a number of periods.”

The police division mentioned officers tried unsuccessfully for far more than 10 minutes to negotiate with Whitfield in advance of he “moved promptly in direction of an officer.” The officer utilized his stun gun, hitting Whitfield in the chest with at least one particular of the two prongs.

Whitfield, who police claimed was 6-foot-2 and 280 lbs ., was then positioned in two pairs of joined handcuffs, which the law enforcement division stated commonly are extra comfy for bigger people today.

“Once the guy was detained, medics, who had been waiting around outdoors for the scene to be safe to enter, were being requested to occur within,” law enforcement said. “At that point, medics asked the guy to roll in excess of and he did not react. Soon after medics checked for a pulse, the male was unhandcuffed, and medics and various officers administered CPR. Medics transported the guy to a local healthcare facility, where clinical pros pronounced him deceased shortly right after arrival.”

Law enforcement mentioned the officers included have been put on administrative depart, a typical treatment. A spokesman declined to say how a lot of officers that included, citing the investigation. Various officers were being putting on entire body-worn cameras the video has not been produced.

Whitfield’s spouse and children could not be reached for remark Tuesday.