Inquest Jury Mulls Death In Police Custody

An inquest jury cleared Seattle police today of wrongdoing in the December death of Michael Ealy, 35, who died after struggling with officers and ambulance personnel.

A six-member jury was to resume deliberations today in an inquest to determine whether wrongdoing was involved in his Dec. 29 death. Inquests routinely are ordered when someone dies in the custody of law-enforcement officials.

"Michael was asking for help," said Ophelia Ealy, reflecting on witness and ambulance personnel testimony that said ambulance workers had arrived last December to provide her son with medical assistance after receiving reports he was crying out for help while darting in traffic in the 1700 block of Dexter Avenue North.

"I hear him asking for help in my mind every minute of the day," she said shortly after jurors left the courtroom and began deliberations. "I can't forget that my son died while asking for help."

But Ealy knows her son's cries for help - as well as testimony during the hearing that revealed he was badly injured as police and ambulance workers attempted to restrain him - may not be enough to cause the inquest jury to rule wrongdoing was involved in his death.

A preliminary report released by the King County Medical Examiner's Office before the inquest linked his death to neck and chest compression, but also to cocaine intoxication and heart disease.

Those factors again were identified during the inquest as the primary factors for his death.

But Richard Harruff, associate medical examiner for the King County Medical Examiner's Office, testified "there is some indication that there was compression of the chest that resulted in the impairing of his breathing."

He emphasized during two days of testimony that he could not determine whether the chest and neck compression, or the cocaine intoxication and heart disease, contributed more to his death.

"It's not that simple and straightforward. I can't make it simple and straightforward," said Harruff, who later added that he doubted Ealy would have died from cocaine intoxication alone, or simply from his heart disease.

He suggested that the neck and chest compression might have been aggravating factors, contributing to a decrease in Ealy's ability to breathe and resulting in heart failure.

"If they (the jurors) find these people responsible for his death, then I know justice can be done," Ophelia Ealy said. "But if they don't, then we have got a lot of work to do."

Anne Bremner, an attorney representing the police officers, told jurors throughout the inquest that Ealy's death was an unfortunate accident. She echoed those thoughts minutes after testimony in the inquest ended.

"This was a tragedy that resulted from unanticipated factors," she said. "The chest restraint (used by officers) would not kill anybody in general under normal conditions."

The primary issue for the jury, which listened to five days of contentious testimony and heated argumentation among lawyers, was whether the actions of the police or ambulance workers who responded to Ealy's cries for help last December ultimately caused his death.

The court, however, has no jurisdiction to hand down punishment even if the jury determines officers or ambulance personnel acted inappropriately.

But Lembhard Howell, attorney for the Ealy family, has said police and the ambulance company involved may take action against their own employees if the jury determines there was wrongdoing.

Ealy, 35, died 6 1/2 hours after struggling with ambulance workers and police officers. He had been acting strangely, darting in the streets crying for help and lying down on the ground, according to testimony during the inquest hearing.

When ambulance workers found him, he was quiet and calm, but clearly experiencing some problems, according to inquest testimony and court documents. He was placed in an ambulance from American Medical Response, a private company.

But en route to Harborview Medical Center, according to testimony during the inquest hearing, he attempted to attack one medic, who countered by grabbing Ealy in a headlock. Once the ambulance stopped, police officers tried to help restrain him. At one point, a combination of four ambulance workers and police officers pinned Ealy face-down on the concrete, according to testimony.

He suffered multiple abrasions and contusions over his entire body, his brain was swollen and he suffered bleeding around his right kidney, and his face was so misshapen that Ophelia Ealy testified during the inquest that she did not recognize him.

Ronald K. Fitten's phone message number is 206-464-3251. His e-mail