Death of Kansas teen in police custody ruled a homicide

The death of a Black teenager in law enforcement custody in Sedgwick County, Kan., was deemed a homicide Tuesday after an autopsy. 

Chief Medical Examiner Timothy S. Gorrill said in an autopsy report that 17-year-old Cedric Lofton died in September because of “complications of cardiopulmonary arrest sustained after physical struggle while restrained in the prone position,” CNN reported. 

The corrections employees involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave awaiting the results of an investigation by the county’s district attorney. 

Lofton was taken into the custody of the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center on Sept. 24 after he displayed “erratic and aggressive behavior toward his foster family.” He also assaulted officers who arrived on the scene and was later booked on four counts of battery of a law ​enforcement officer, according to CNN. 

Shortly after staff members restrained the teen in the prone position, they were unable to find a pulse. They began chest compressions and called for emergency help, but Lofton was unresponsive and died two days later. 

“Cedric’s death was caused by the hands of the very authorities that were obligated to protect him and make sure he was safe. Instead, they killed him with conscious disregard for the young life in their keeping,” said a statement to CNN from attorneys Steven Hart and Andrew M. Stroth, who represent Lofton’s family.

The prone position has been linked to other deaths; it restricts one’s ability to breathe and can limit oxygen flow to the heart and brain.