Two Texas police officers were placed on administrative desk duty after a suspected prowler died in the back seat of their squad car last week, the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth reported.
The man died July 26 after he complained about having medical issues, Fort Worth police said in a news release. The man was handcuffed in the back seat, the Star-Telegram reported.
The police officers had responded to a call about a prowler, as the victim said a man armed with a gun was trying to break into his residence. When police arrived they saw a man armed with a pipe, the Star-Telegram reported.
The man, identified as 55-year-old Christopher Lowe, was detained without incident, but after being placed in handcuffs he complained about having medical issues, KXAS reported. The officers put the man in the back of the patrol car and did not request medical assistance, the Star-Telegram reported.
Lowe was conscious as the officers interviewed witnesses, but when they returned to the car the suspect was unresponsive inside it, the newspaper reported.
Officers applied medical aid and called for an ambulance, but Lowe was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital, the Star-Telegram reported.
The Fort Worth Police Department Major Case and Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a review and the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has also opened an investigation, the newspaper reported.
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