March 19, 2020 - 8:44 AM
GRANGER, Ind. - A northern Indiana man has died in custody shortly after a sheriff's deputy used a stun gun to subdue him when he refused to drop a knife, authorities said.
St. Joseph County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday went to a home in Granger, just east of South Bend, on a report that a knife-wielding man was chasing his wife.
Sheriff William Redman said the man, who was in his late 50s, was standing in the garage still holding the knife when the deputies arrived. He initially complied with their request to get on the ground, but he then stood up and lunged at the officers, Redman said.
One of the deputies used the stun gun on him then put him in handcuffs, but the man suffered a medical issue, the sheriff said. The deputies removed the handcuffs and began CPR. Medics arrived and continued life-saving efforts, but the man was pronounced dead in the front yard of his home, Redman said.
Authorities have not released the man's name.
An autopsy was performed Thursday morning but it will be at least a month before the cause of death is known, pending toxicology results, said Michael McGann, the St. Joseph County coroner.
The officer who used the stun gun on the man has been placed on administrative leave. Redman said the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit will investigated the incident.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020