ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA - Three Alameda police officers are facing involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from a 2021 in-custody death.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price made the announcement Thursday, one year after she reopened the case that was concluded by her predecessor, who did not find “enough evidence to warrant criminal charges,” NBC reported.
On April 19, 2021, Mario Gonzalez, who was suspected of shoplifting, died after being detained by police in connection with the shoplifting incident.
According to the coroner’s autopsy report, Gonzalez’s stated cause of death was “the toxic effects of methamphetamine, with the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, morbid obesity, and alcoholism contributing to the process of dying.”
Despite that information, District Attorney Price, who was elected in 2022, was not satisfied with her predecessor’s conclusion of the case which cleared all three officers of any crime.
Upon reopening of the case, another autopsy was completed. The second autopsy states that Gonzalez’s death is “a result of restraint asphyxiation.”
While it is unclear when the second autopsy was completed, we know that it was more than one year after the initial autopsy.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the sooner autopsies are done, the better. “After 24 hours, organs and other body tissues start to deteroriate, which makes it more difficult to perform certain tests and assess their accuracy,” their website states.
The site goes on to say that “forensic pathologists can still do autopsies on decomposed or exhumed (removed from burial in the ground) bodies. But the detail and extent of information (and/or evidence) they can gather may be limited.”
Given the above information alone, the second autopsy raises questions.
A search on forensic asphyxia tells us that due to the circumstance, the type of asphyxia that would be relevant to this case, would likely be mechanical in nature. Pathology Outlines defines mechanical asphyxia as, “impaired breathing due to acquired body unnatural position (positional asphyxia), severe compression to the neck or chest or other areas of the body that make the respiration difficult or impossible (traumatic or compressive asphyxia), mechanical obstruction of the airways; includes smothering, choking, and strangulation.”
In all these cases, visible signs would have been present in the initial autopsy. Additionally, high levels of carbon dioxide would have been present in the blood.
Yet that was not what the initial autopsy indicated.
So, what is the motive here? Why now?
District Attorney Price should have good cause to reopen this case. However, right now, it appears to be a witch hunt based on the limited research provided here alone. And it makes sense being an election year. It is the left’s season to shine. The worst time for our law enforcement as our heroes are once again painted as enemies in the name of social justice and attempting to grab those votes.
Although Price’s term does not end until 2027, she seems to be choosing her side now, and it does not appear to be in favor of police.
Eric McKinley, James Fisher, and Cameron Leahy are all charged with involuntary manslaughter after being cleared of charges initially. They face upwards of four years incarcerated if convicted.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez’s family has been generously compensated via two settlements from the city. His estate/son will receive $11 million, while his mother receives $350,000.
Price is facing a recall election as residents disover her soft-on-crime approach does nothing for public safety in the area.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price made the announcement Thursday, one year after she reopened the case that was concluded by her predecessor, who did not find “enough evidence to warrant criminal charges,” NBC reported.
On April 19, 2021, Mario Gonzalez, who was suspected of shoplifting, died after being detained by police in connection with the shoplifting incident.
According to the coroner’s autopsy report, Gonzalez’s stated cause of death was “the toxic effects of methamphetamine, with the physiological stress of altercation and restraint, morbid obesity, and alcoholism contributing to the process of dying.”
Despite that information, District Attorney Price, who was elected in 2022, was not satisfied with her predecessor’s conclusion of the case which cleared all three officers of any crime.
Upon reopening of the case, another autopsy was completed. The second autopsy states that Gonzalez’s death is “a result of restraint asphyxiation.”
While it is unclear when the second autopsy was completed, we know that it was more than one year after the initial autopsy.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the sooner autopsies are done, the better. “After 24 hours, organs and other body tissues start to deteroriate, which makes it more difficult to perform certain tests and assess their accuracy,” their website states.
The site goes on to say that “forensic pathologists can still do autopsies on decomposed or exhumed (removed from burial in the ground) bodies. But the detail and extent of information (and/or evidence) they can gather may be limited.”
Given the above information alone, the second autopsy raises questions.
A search on forensic asphyxia tells us that due to the circumstance, the type of asphyxia that would be relevant to this case, would likely be mechanical in nature. Pathology Outlines defines mechanical asphyxia as, “impaired breathing due to acquired body unnatural position (positional asphyxia), severe compression to the neck or chest or other areas of the body that make the respiration difficult or impossible (traumatic or compressive asphyxia), mechanical obstruction of the airways; includes smothering, choking, and strangulation.”
In all these cases, visible signs would have been present in the initial autopsy. Additionally, high levels of carbon dioxide would have been present in the blood.
Yet that was not what the initial autopsy indicated.
So, what is the motive here? Why now?
District Attorney Price should have good cause to reopen this case. However, right now, it appears to be a witch hunt based on the limited research provided here alone. And it makes sense being an election year. It is the left’s season to shine. The worst time for our law enforcement as our heroes are once again painted as enemies in the name of social justice and attempting to grab those votes.
Although Price’s term does not end until 2027, she seems to be choosing her side now, and it does not appear to be in favor of police.
Eric McKinley, James Fisher, and Cameron Leahy are all charged with involuntary manslaughter after being cleared of charges initially. They face upwards of four years incarcerated if convicted.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez’s family has been generously compensated via two settlements from the city. His estate/son will receive $11 million, while his mother receives $350,000.
Price is facing a recall election as residents disover her soft-on-crime approach does nothing for public safety in the area.
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Comments
2024-04-26T16:20-0400 | Comment by: Daniel
Why is it when a police officer get killed on duty the family never get's millons of dollars the way the bads guys do? Also how often do these DAs go on ride alongs with the cops?
2024-04-27T02:50-0400 | Comment by: David
We left that failed state the very week after I retired. Never looked back.
2024-04-27T02:50-0400 | Comment by: David
We left that failed state the very week after I retired. Never looked back.