Coroner: In struggle with police man died from choking, blunt force
| Thursday, Jun 25 2009 11:50 AM
Last Updated Thursday, Jun 25 2009 01:58 PM
A man who died in January after fighting with police was killed by blunt force trauma and asphyxia -- inability to breath, according to a coroner's report.
Rodolfo Lepe, 31, died on the afternoon of January 11.
Police had been called out to Lepe's house after he had been behaving strangely.
They found Lepe hiding in a closet where he threatened to kill the officers. When they tried to subdue Lepe, he fought violently with them. He bit and kicked the officers and even grabbed for one of their guns.
Officers hit and kicked him several times and shot him with multiple Tasers, however Lepe tore the darts from his skin.
Eventually the officers were able to handcuff Lepe. Because of the struggle, they called for medical aid.
Then they noticed Lepe had stopped breathing. Lepe was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead.
Police said Thursday they will be forwarding the results of their investigation of Lepe's death to the District Attorney's office for independent review. The death could be ruled a murder, manslaughter or justifiable homicide.
A separate review will be done by the police Critical Review Team comprised of two assistant chiefs and four captains. Police did not estimate how long the reviews would take..
The officers involved in the death were:
Brian Holcombe
David Brooks
Jess Beagley
Raelynn Aguayo
Gilbert Rodriguez
Adam Ketchum
They remain on active duty, police said.
