(EVANSVILLE) — A coroner says the cause of death of a Pennsylvania man who died after a fight with police in southwest Indiana is under investigation.
Vanderburgh County Chief Deputy Coroner David Anson tells the Evansville Courier & Press that an autopsy of 55-year-old Edward Snukis from St. Clair, Pennsylvania, took place Saturday. Results are pending.
Evansville police say Snukis was intoxicated and belligerent at a car dealership Friday evening. They say an officer used a stun gun on Snukis and that he fell as he tried to run away. He was unresponsive when police cuffed him, and police say he stopped breathing before an ambulance arrived. Snukis was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Evansville Police spokesman Sgt. Jason Cullum said they aren’t investigating the death as a use of force death but instead as a death that happened while the man was in police custody.
“Based on the information we gathered from witnesses, bodycam footage and the officers, we have not found any specific action by the officers that would meet the definition of deadly force,” Cullum said. “The force that was used by the officers falls under the ‘less-than-lethal classification.'”
Police say the officers involved are taking a three-day administrative leave and are subject to an internal investigation.
Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com
