EUGENE, Ore. — Police did not use deadly force against an inmate who died last week after seriously injuring two officers at the city jail in Florence, Oregon, authorities said.
Lane County District Attorney Patty Perlow said Tuesday that officers used a stun gun, but investigators don't believe that contributed to the death of 40-year-old David Brickey. Only one of its two electrically charged darts struck him, she said.
Authorities suspect the 5-foot-9, 260-pound man died from a medical issue that could relate to an enlarged heart and a blocked artery. A medical examiner issued preliminary findings, but the autopsy report isn't final.
Brickey was jailed May 4 on a disorderly conduct charge. Four days later, he attacked officers for unknown reasons while being released from the facility.
Two officers, Ken Larson and Stephanie Sansom, suffered concussions during the incident. Authorities displayed photographs of the officers' bloodied faces during a news conference Tuesday, The Register-Guard reported.
Surveillance video shows Brickey attacking Sansom, slamming her head into a concrete wall before getting on top of her. Several inmates hit "call buttons" inside their cells to alert staff, Florence Police Chief Tom Turner said.
Officers said Brickey stopped breathing shortly after being restrained. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Springfield police Detective David Grice, part of an interagency team of detectives investigating the incident, said Brickey had been disruptive throughout the jail stint.
Police arrested Brickey on the disorderly conduct charge after he became upset at a Florence restaurant. Brickey incorrectly thought the building owner was photographing him, Grice said.
