Shoplifting suspect dead after swallowing object while in custody at a Walmart

A shoplifting suspect died Thursday night after swallowing an object while in custody, according to a spokesperson for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.

Two KCPD officers were working off-duty security about 6:30 p.m. at the Walmart store in the 8500 block of North Boardwalk Avenue.

The officers took a man into custody on a shoplifting investigation.

The man was seated in the store's security office when officers saw him attempt to swallow an unknown object.

He refused officers efforts to get him to spit out the object.

The man then had trouble breathing and lost consciousness, according to the department's spokesperson.

Officers attempted life-saving measures until emergency medical services arrived.

The man was taken to a hospital where he died.

Police have identified the victim as 45-year-old Christopher Christian.

No information was released on what the man swallowed.

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