Suspect Dies During Police Chase- Cause of Death Revealed
The Kentucky State Medical Examiner has finished the investigation into the cause of death of a man who died while Ashland, Kentucky, after he ran while police were serving a warrant.
Back on March 2, Clarence Wilkerson, 34, died in police custody while officers were serving a warrant. The Ashland Police Department immediately contacted the Kentucky State Police, and the agency began an investigation into what caused Mr. Wilkerson’s death.
According to KSP the three officers involved in the arrest were all veteran officers with a combined 54 years of experience in law enforcement between them.
Mr. Wilkerson’s family described him as generous and fun-loving and retained civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump to represent them. Crump claimed that police did not properly attend to Mr. Wilkerson’s medical needs at the time of the arrest. “It is heartbreaking that Clarence’s children and loved ones have to grieve his preventable loss all because officers did not take his clearly declining condition seriously. In the upsetting video, we hear a bystander saying over and over that he needs help, while officers fail to provide aid for several critical minutes. We demand that the Ashland Police Department release all footage they have from this incident and conduct a full investigation so the family and community can see the full picture of how this man lost his life.”
The State Medical Examiner determined on March 6, that Wilkerson did not die from a traumatic event, but likely from issues related to his pre-existing health conditions. Mr. Wilkerson had a medical history of a prior heart condition that included congestive heart failure, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.
Toxicology tests pinpointed the cause of death as acute methamphetamine intoxication that exacerbated his existing health issues when he tried to run from officers on foot. Wilkerson also had amphetamines and THC in his bloodstream.