Man Dies in Police Custody, Medical Examiner Rules Death a Homicide

by Tim Lynch
PoliceMisconduct.net
Sep. 27, 2012

The Journal Sentinel reported Sunday that the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office has revised its ruling on the death of Derek Williams, who died in Milwaukee police custody in July 2011, from natural to homicide, according to the district attorney’s office. The decision came after the Journal Sentinel alerted an assistant medical examiner to newly released records.

If Williams had gotten immediate medical attention, he would not have died in the backseat of a squad car while Milwaukee police officers ignored his pleas for help, James Hall, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, said Sunday.

Video at the link above shows Derek Williams handcuffed in the backseat of police cruiser gasping for air and begging for help. The police do not take his pleas seriously and seem to think Williams is drunk or under the influence of narcotics.

Kudos to the Journal-Sentinel for pursuing the case and obtaining the police records and video. The medical examiner did not have the full picture—Hmm—and reversed his conclusion only after the newspaper brought the new information to his attention.