DETROIT — A police officer and two paramedics failed to help a man who was convulsing for more than an hour and eventually died from cocaine toxicity at a Detroit-area jail, a prosecutor said Monday as she filed involuntary manslaughter charges against the trio.
William Marshall, who was in custody for drug possession, died in the Westland police lock-up in December, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
A state police investigation showed an “inexcusable and criminal disregard for human life from those who have a duty to serve him, protect him and render aid,” Worthy said.
She said video of the incident is a “critical part of the evidence.”
Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed against Sgt. Ronald Buckley and paramedics Matt Dicosola and Leah Maynard. They didn’t immediately appear in court, and it wasn’t clear yet if they have lawyers who can respond to the allegations.
A message seeking comment was left for Westland police Chief Jeff Jedrusik. He has acknowledged that Marshall, 35, should have been taken to a hospital earlier that day. The city in May agreed to a $3.75 million settlement with Marshall’s family, with much of the money coming from insurance coverage.
The paramedics told Buckley they could take Marshall to a hospital, but the sergeant waved them off, Worthy said.
Nonetheless, she added, that doesn’t clear them.
“The paramedics still have a duty to render aid and assistance,” the prosecutor said. “They abandoned him, according to the facts of our investigation. … They are criminally responsible.”
Separately, Worthy said no charges would be filed in the fentanyl-related death of a man at an Ecorse police lock-up in June 2017.
Although Ecorse officers should have noticed that Frank Porter wasn’t moving in his cell, she said, the delay did not contribute to his death.
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