Geoff McDonald and Associates | Injury Law Blog

September 21, 2011
Family members of a Petersburg, Virginia man who died while in the custody of the county sheriff are filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the department, claiming the booking center is responsible for his death.

Video footage provided by NBC 12 News, shows the man emptying his pockets at the booking center of the Petersburg City Jail, shortly before being taken to a strip search room. Officers said that the man swallowed a small plastic bag containing white powder just before bolting from the room. Officers tackled the man to the ground to restrain him, but moments later he was dead. The county coroner listed the official cause of death as asphyxiation by the plastic bag.
Family members of the man are doubtful of this story and say the man loved life too much to swallow the bag. The medical examiner with the coroner’s office never found the bag in the man’s body, causing doubt to the conclusions.

The family’s attorney stated the suit, being filed this week, will name at least five members of the department as responsible parties in the death.
The Virginia Wrongful Death Attorneys with Geoff McDonald & Associates suggest contacting an attorney if you have suspicions a loved one died because of circumstances that were not their fault. Their office is available anytime to answer questions regarding your case by filling out a free online consultation form.