Over the weekend, the New York City Medical Examiner declared the death of a man who the NYPD placed in a "protective body wrap" while he was high on PCP a homicide. Both NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio refuse to blame police for the man's death.
Ron Singleton, 45, reportedly died in the midst of a PCP-induced tirade while seated in the back of a Manhattan cab on Jul. 13. Police were summoned, and according to a report, were forced to administer the aforementioned maneuver to restrain Singleton. Singleton was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital.
According to the New York Post, de Blasio is supporting the actions of the NYPD. "From everything we’ve seen so far, protocol was followed to protect him and protect everyone around him by restraining him," he reportedly said. Furthermore, Bratton insisted that the medical examiner's report made the situation sound more severe than it was.
"The public in general sees the word `homicide’ and they immediately conjure up images of a criminal act," he explained, according to the Post. "It is not that, it is a medical use of the term, different from the legal use of the term."
Though both de Blasio and Bratton say Singleton's drug-fueled actions caused the circumstances which led to his death, de Blasio maintained that an Internal Affairs investigation will be conducted.
[via New York Post]
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