COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – The death of Calvon Reid, whose controversial case led to the ouster of a police chief, has been ruled a homicide.
The death was the result of being stunned by Tasers multiple times by Coconut Creek police officers, according to Broward County medical examiner's office records obtained by Local 10 News.
The death certificate, which was obtained by Reid's family attorneys Friday, also listed "recent cocaine use" and alcohol as contributing factors, though not resulting directly in his death, according to official records.
"It shows they used excessive force and electrocuted him to death with their Tasers," attorney Jarrett Blakeley said. "It proves they violated his constitutional rights and his family wants justice."
Police were called to the Wynmoor retirement community at about 1 a.m. on February 22 by residents who said Reid, 39, who suffered from unknown injuries, needed medical treatment. After Reid refused medical treatment, officers subdued him and, according to eyewitnesses, stunned him with Tasers multiple times in the chest.
Eyewitness John Arendale said he believed police used undue force on Reid, whom he and other witnesses said cried out, "They are going to kill me," and "I can't breathe."
"I believe a man died here unnecessarily," Arendale told Local 10 in March.
Police released no information on the death, keeping it secret from the public. It was later learned that three of the four officers involved had allowed their Taser certification to lapse.
Police Chief Michael Mann, after a press conference in which he claimed Reid was agitated and combative at the scene, abruptly "retired" from the force amidst the controversy.
Reid, who had a cocaine-related arrest in his past, tested positive for cocaine and alcohol, which may help explain his allegedly erratic behavior.
In some past Taser-related deaths, cocaine use has been used as the actual cause of death, with medical examiners citing "excited delirium." Those findings have prompted a national debate on whether it's an actual cause of death.
There is no consensus on the matter in the medical community. The Washington Post recently posed the question in a headline: "Is it real or a cover for brutality?"
In the Reid case, the medical examiner's office ruled the primary cause of death was the Taser use by police, or "complications of an electro-muscular disruption device." Cocaine use, alcohol intoxication and an enlarged heart were listed as "other significant conditions contributing to the death, but not resulting in the underlying cause" of death.
Reid's father, Calvin Reid, said he fully expected the officers involved to use the cocaine finding in their defense.
"They are doing anything they can to discredit Calvon," he said. "They are doing everything they can to cover their tail. I don't think they'll be successful. I feel like they murdered my son."
The homicide case is currently being investigated by the state attorney's office, which will determine any charges against the police officers involved.
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