Las Vegas police say man who died in custody likely OD’d — VIDEO
A man who died after being taken into Las Vegas police custody on Friday likely died of a drug overdose, Las Vegas police said.
Police said they were called to a report of a suicidal person at a residence in the 7400 block of Hawk Shadow Avenue, near Rainbow Boulevard and Russell Road, at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The man was identified as David Baxter, 37.
Assistant Sheriff Chris Jones told the media Monday afternoon that Baxter’s friend, who called 911, had told police that Baxter had taken a large amount of narcotics, “presumably methamphetamine,” in an attempt to take his own life.
When officers arrived they attempted to talk Baxter into leaving the home, but body camera footage showed that he would not comply and began shaking and acting erratically. Jones explained that Baxter was in a state of “excited delirium,” which is commonly associated with illicit drug use.
Jones said common side effects of excited delirium include excessive body temperature, uncontrolled shaking, incoherency, violence or struggling, and an inappropriate shedding of clothing.
Body camera footage of the incident showed Baxter removing his shirt and lying down on the ground, while shaking and speaking incoherently. Officers were able to get him in handcuffs, and medical personnel began to treat him.
After the medical treatment, officers placed Baxter on a gurney and sat him up to remove his handcuffs, Jones said.
“As the handcuffs were removed and Mr. Baxter was laid back on the gurney, medical personnel began to observe that he was not breathing and they immediately began CPR,” Jones said. “Mr. Baxter was transported to Spring Valley Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 1:29 p.m.”
Jones identified the three officers involved as 47-year-old Brett Levasseur, 35-year-old Steve Saxton and 39-year-old Ryan Thacker. He said the incident is still under investigation, but the department does not believe the officers’ actions played a part in Baxter’s death.
The coroner’s office could not identify a hometown for Baxter on Monday morning. An official cause and manner of death for the man are pending, and Jones said Monday that the toxicology report could take weeks.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
