A disturbed and obstreperous hospital patient was physically restrained and then hit with an electronic stun gun repeatedly. The patient, George King, fell into a coma. A week later, he died.
“Natural causes,” according to the state medical examiner. And the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s office says the police were not responsible.
For an old police reporter, the report was reminiscent of the arrestee who falls getting in or out of the police wagon. Used to happen all the time – as a way to explain bruises accumulated on the way to the station house.
Some citizens of Baltimore may have read the George King report and concluded that the fix was in. Was there no other way to control King? The encounter occurred in a hospital.
Given recent reporting on police misconduct in Baltimore, the mayor and the police commissioner should be all over this one. King died in May, so perhaps new procedures -- new training – are already in place.
One has to be sympathetic to police who must encounter situations like this one often. Dealing with disturbed and violent people is challenging if not life-threatening.
But surely the training manuals have a chapter or two on how to proceed in such cases with minimal risk to all.
Citizens need to know that every possible safeguard is in place. And when, as in this case, there is a death, they need a detailed explanation of what went wrong.
A life was lost, after all.
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