Nearly 50 police custody deaths since 1995 were tied to “complications of sickle cell trait,” even though the condition is benign on its own, raising concerns that law enforcement is using the presence of the trait found in custody death victims to evade responsibility, a New York Times investigation suggests. Full-blown sickle cell disease requires two mutated genes and is excruciatingly painful and sometimes life-threatening. Those with the trait only have one, and many don’t have any symptoms and live a normal life.
In roughly two-thirds of the police custody deaths where sickle cell trait was cited, the person who died had been forcefully restrained by authorities, pepper-sprayed, bit by a dog, or shocked with stun guns — much of which could hinder breathing. Five of the cases were initially ruled homicides. The cases analyzed followed a pattern in which the trait is listed with other conditions, like high blood pressure or drug use, to create doubt about the role of the police. The vast majority of cases analyzed which cited sickle cell disease did not end in a conviction. “You can’t put the blame on sickle cell trait when there is a knee on the neck or when there is a chokehold or the person is hogtied,” said Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., the former chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia and now chair of pathology at the Howard University College of Medicine. “You can’t say, ‘Well, he’s fragile.’ No, that becomes a homicide.”
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May 17, 2021 at 06:00PM
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Sickle Cell Trait in Police Custody Deaths Used to Avert Penalties: Report - Crime Report
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