THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
Autistic Man 'Died Of Asphyxia'
The 30-year-old Des Plaines autistic man who suddenly passed away on Nov. 20 after local police twice fired a taser at him died of positional asphyxia, Des Plaines police have been told.
According to Des Plaines Police Chief Jim Prandini, his department was informed of the cause of death last Friday by Illinois State Police. An autopsy was performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office after Hansel Cunningham, a resident of a group home in the 800 block of South Golf Cul de Sac, died at a local hospital.
Police were called to the Golf Cul de Sac address after receiving a distress call from a caregiver at the home who reported that Cunningham had bitten him on the hands and arms. At the time, it's believed the caregiver was trying to restrain Cunningham.
Police, unable to restrain Cunningham, used pepper spray to try to subdue him and eventually fired electrically-charged tasers at him twice. Fire Dept. paramedics reportedly also injected him with a sedative.
Officials of the group home said Cunningham had never before shown violent tendencies.
Paramedics on the scene rushed to Cunningham's aid after he experienced difficulty breathing. Later that day he was pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Hts.
Prandini yesterday (Tuesday) said that the opinion he has received is that the cause of death---positional asphyxia---means he was unable to breathe. He would not speculate how that came about. He said he is not supposed to comment on the case until his department can thoroughly review the follow-up State Police report.
"I have strong feelings on this," said Prandini indicating his desire to comment when the time is appropriate.
State Police spokesman Lincoln Hampton Tuesday said the investigation is still ongoing and more interviews needs to take place. He declined to verify the cause of Cunningham's death explaining that the results of the probe will be turned over to Des Plaines Police and the Cook County State's Attorney's office.