The Wayne County Prosecutor charges a Westland Police officer and two EMS technicians with doing next to nothing to help a man who was convulsing after doing cocaine. The man died while in police custody.
William Marshall was in the Westland jail after a traffic stop last December, suspected of doing drugs.
He began to have convulsions. Prosecutor Worthy says the watch commander, Sgt. Ron Buckley, called EMS. But Worthy says they refused to help Marshall even as he was in convulsions while on the floor.
The paramedics offered to take Marshall to a hospital, but Sgt. Buckley decided that Marshall should stay in jail. Later Marshall was found motionless in his cell… the sergeant and another officer performed CPR and used a defibrillator, but it was too late.
Worthy charges Sgt. Buckley, and EMS technicians Matt Discosola and Leah Maynard with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office.
Marshall died of cocaine toxicity.