This "Police Brutality" garbage hacks me off.

[RPlank]

Coroner: Ohio Man's Death Is a Homicide

By JOHN NOLAN, Associated Press Writer

CINCINNATI - The coroner said Wednesday that a struggle with police was the primary cause in the death of a 350-pound black man whose scuffle with officers outside a fast-food restaurant has prompted outcry among black leaders.

Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott said Nathaniel Jones, 41, suffered from an enlarged heart, obesity and had intoxicating levels of cocaine, PCP and methanol in his blood.

Parrott said the death will be ruled a homicide, but added that such a ruling "should not be interpreted as implying inappropriate behavior or the use of excessive force by police." Homicide rulings are issued when someone dies at the hands of another person.

Jones' death certificate will list a cause of death as an irregular heart beat because of a stress reaction from the violent struggle, Parrott said.

Activists say Jones' death was another example of brutality by Cincinnati police against blacks in a city that was rocked by race riots two years ago.

The coroner's ruling came shortly after lawyers for Jones' family called for an independent investigation, claiming the coroner has mishandled past cases.

"It's hard for me to believe anything that comes out of the coroner's office," attorney Kenneth Lawson said at a news conference.

Relatives said Jones was a loving person who never hurt anyone.

"They talk about Skip like he was an animal," said his grandmother, Bessie Jones. "He wasn't. Skipper was just a good old, fat jolly fella. He wasn't violent."

"Everyone he met, that he touched, loved him," said his aunt, Diane Payton. "He was never mean."

The struggle occurred early Sunday after an employee at a White Castle called 911 to report that a man had passed out on the lawn outside. Emergency personnel arrived and reported that the man was awake and "becoming a nuisance," according to police radio transmissions.

The first two arriving officers were shown on a police video striking Jones after he ignored orders to "stay back," took a swing at an officer and put his arm around one's neck.

The officers later knocked Jones to the ground and fell on him, and jabbed or clubbed him with nightsticks at least a dozen times over several minutes until he was handcuffed. They kept yelling, "Put your hands behind your back!" as they struggled to handcuff him.

Jones' body had bruising on the lower half, but did not show signs of blows to the head or organ damage, Parrott said.

Jones was carrying cocaine and three hand-rolled cigarettes that had been dipped in methanol, an ingredient in embalming fluid that gets people high, authorities said.

Messages seeking comment on the ruling were left with the prosecutor and police chief.

[RPlank]

.....Activists say Jones' death was another example of brutality by Cincinnati police against blacks in a city that was rocked by race riots two years ago......

Give me a break! The guy is on videotape fighting with two cops, and I will bet big bucks that he was either diabetic, or high. Either condition can make anyone violent. It is too bad the guy died, but when a persons physical condition (or lack thereof) possibly combined with drug usage turns them into a problem, the cops get called to deal with it. If they have to use force to arrest the guy, so be it. I despise the people who stage the public outcry against police brutality in these situations. Barring other evidence that the cops acted improperly, they should be cleared, and the morons crying foul should shut the .... up.

Sorry about the rant. This is a sore subject with me. I am a little bit biased!

[Jeanne]

I dont blame you. The whole deal is bull... and the idea that making the police look bad is not cool either. You are right, many factors can be played in as to why this guy died. But police brutality- yeah right!

[Ironhead]

Im there with ya Randy. Though some times it look's like a person is being beat, usually you only see it after it has started so you never know what the person being subdued had done prior to the filming of it. Now a person on PCP is a very dangerous person. They can fight like hell and not even feel what others are doing to him. As can the Cocaine. Dont know what methanol does so cant comment on that. I hate to say it, but it is the race card issue. If the man who died would have done what he was TOLD.....This would not have happend im sure. Though there are some police that abuse there power, the biggest majority are within thier right's when something like this happens. I've seen many of these cases and 99 out of a 100 are justifiable. Hope I didnt say anything stupid. This issue really pisses me off. Like Randy said....The morons crying foul need to shut the F up.

[BallKingdom]

Randy is a police officer for those who do not know. And I'm not suprised at all the the activists got all uptight about it. Evidence proves the cops innocent. If it were real police brutality, it happens, it'd be a whole nother issue. They're making a mountain out of a mole hill.

[Chondro788]

In my opinion the cops were a little rough. I do not believe that is the only reason the guy died, but I do think they took it too far. The constant hitting with the baton looked a little exaggerated. To me it looks like the cops let this suspect get the best of them and made them loose thier tempers. Again, I am not calling the cops killers, but they are in a position were you can not let your temper go, they know this when they join the force, and should always remember this. Again I would not fire the cops, but i do believe anger management classes and a suspension should be in order. This guy was big, but not an iminent threat to the cops involved. Sorry if my view differs, and i do not want anyone to take this personal, but would enjoy discussing it.
Jason

[Ironhead]

If you take a 350lb man that is high on cocaine and PCP.....You might as well be wrestling with Godzilla. PCP almost can make a person Invinsible. I saw a tape where a man was on PCP and was shot 15 times before he finally fell to the ground, and this was only due to that he lost too much blood for his body to continue.

[BallKingdom]

I've heard that too. It makes them immune to pain and really gets them going.

[RPlank]

He said the autopsy found Jones suffered from an enlarged heart, obesity and had intoxicating levels of cocaine, PCP and methanol in his blood. Jones' body had bruising on the lower half, but did not show signs of blows to the head or organ damage, he said.

http://www.comcast.net/News/DOMESTIC//XML/1110_AP_Online_Regional___National__US_/eac819c3-e172-43ab-8671-a1562155aa3a.html
Newest info I found on the case.......Bruising on lower half of body indicates strikes to legs with batons. There are pressure points in the thighs and lower legs that are targets for proper baton strikes. If they were beating him just to beat him, they wouldn't have videotaped it, and he would've been bruised on the upper body, as well. I haven't seen the tape yet.
Anyone have a link to the videotape?

[CTReptileRescue]

These situations are always hard.
I haven't seen the video tape, and honestly I've learned that you never really get both full sides of the story through one or two media sources. It's hard to form an opinion
I do think it is hard for an officer or any one for that matter to hold their tempers in hard situations. I am not an officer or a paramedic because I would let every drunk driver die on scene. (Yes I have strong emotion toward said subject), But that is also why I am not in those occupations.
these situations are always hard, ecspecially when your on the "outside" of the situation.
I do hope everything works out for both the case and the deceased family.
Rusty