Demetrio Jackson was desperate for medical help when the paramedics arrived.
The 43-year-old was surrounded by police who arrested him after responding to a trespassing call in a Wisconsin parking lot. Officers had shocked him with a Taser and pinned him as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Now he sat on the ground with hands cuffed behind his back and took in oxygen through a mask.
Then, officers moved Jackson to his side so a medic could inject him with a potent knockout drug.
“It’s just going to calm you down,” an officer assured Jackson. Within minutes, Jackson’s heart stopped. He never regained consciousness and died two weeks later.
Jackson’s 2021 death illustrates an often-hidden way fatal U.S. police encounters end: not with the firing of an officer’s gun but with the silent use of a medical syringe.
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found. Based on thousands of pages of law enforcement and medical records and videos of dozens of incidents, the investigation shows how a strategy intended to reduce violence and save lives has resulted in some avoidable deaths.
US applications for jobless claims fall to lowest level in 9 weeks
China completes selection of about 38,000 local gov't special bond projects
TikTok bows to European pressure and halts reward feature on new app in France and Spain
World Central Kitchen workers killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza will be honored at memorial
Technical glitch temporarily closed southern Norway airspace, causing delays at Oslo airport
China reports general public budget spending near 7 tln yuan in Q1
Dutch TV series about Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has been sold to Spain's Atresmedia TV
How a pheromone perfume could make you irresistible to the opposite sex
Tennessee lawmakers approve bill criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sits out 3rd straight game to open the playoffs