Troy Goode’s death was caused by Mississippi police hog-tying him, not the LSD he took that night, an independent autopsy has ruled.
The results were released by Tim Edwards, the Goode family’s attorney, at a press conference in Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday.
Goode, a 30 year-old chemical engineer and father from Memphis, died on July 18, two hours after his detention by police in the Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi.
Goode was left hogtied and on his stomach for an extended period which caused him breathing troubles. When his heart couldn't compensate, it went into cardiac arrhythmia and killed him, according to Edwards.
The autopsy found no evidence of a pre-existing disease that would have led to Goode’s death.
An earlier toxicology report confirmed that Goode had used LSD and marijuana while attending a rock concert by the jam band Widespread Panic before he died.
"The toxicology report... rules out any drug-related causes. That takes that off the table," Edwards said. "LSD does not cause heart failure."
When the incident occurred, Goode's wife was taking him home when he got out of the car and started running around.
Officers eventually subdued him, restraining his arms and legs behind him.
Goode was taken to an area hospital, but was later pronounced dead.
A video shot by a bystander showed Goode on a stretcher being wheeled to an ambulance. He was lying face down with his limbs restrained behind his back using leg irons and handcuffs.
Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite issued a statement following the autopsy results to defend the actions of the police officers.
Police were called as Goode was “acting erratically and posing a danger to himself and innocent bystanders,” Musselwhite said.
"At no time during the arrest or while receiving medical care from Southaven responders did Mr. Goode claim he could not breathe or appear short of breath," the statement said.
The state’s autopsy could take eight months to complete.
A Justice for Troy Facebook page has been set up to shine the national spotlight on the incident.
Edwards is calling on the US Department of Justice to open a civil-rights investigation into Goode's death.
He also says the family plans to file a lawsuit in early January asking for both compensation and a ban on these types of restraint.