Autopsy claims Florida inmate Kevin Desir died from ‘strangulation’ in fight with officers

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The family of a Florida man who died in a 2021 physical altercation with prison guards is calling for the release of surveillance video of what happened after a private autopsy concluded he was strangled to death.

Kevin Desir, 43, was arrested on marijuana and criminal mischief charges, according to Local10.

Desir, whose family says he had a history of bipolar disorder, was sent to North Broward Bureau Facility in South Florida, a prison designated especially for those with mental health challenges and physical disabilities, according to The Guardian.

On 17 January, after Desir had been hospitalised for cutting himself, Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies “removed Desir from the cell to assess his injuries and render aid,” at which point he “became extremely violent by pulling away, kicking and spitting,” according to a May 2022 report from the department.

From there, a group of six officers attempted to restrain Desir, punching him repeatedly, shooting him with a Taser, pepper-spraying him, and attempting to use their body weight to leverage him into a restraining chair, according to a memo from the Broward County State Attorney’s Office obtained by The Guardian.

At some point, the 43-year-old lost consciousness, and he died ten days later.

From here, accounts diverge concerning what happened next.

An official county autopsy, conducted independently from police, reviewed surveillance footage of the incident as part of its examination and concluded the cause of death to be “undetermined,” according to the South Florida Sun Sentinal.

A private autopsy, commissioned by Desir’s family and obtained by The Guardian, concluded the death was a homicide from “manual strangulation,” after Desir’s “neck and carotid arteries [were] compressed.”

“A completely healthy individual under no prerequisite stress could succumb to that,” the autopsy reads.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) completed its investigation of the death in June of 2021, handing their findings off to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which found that “the facts of this case do not support any criminal charges,” according to the Atlanta Black Star.

The sheriff’s office gave positive feedback to two of the employees most involved in Desir’s death, The Guardian reports.

The BSO has defended the conduct of its employees in the incident.

“Even though the internal and independent investigations conducted by BSO, the Medical Examiner’s Office and State Attorney’s Office determined no employee caused Kevin Desir’s death or violated any policy, it doesn’t negate the great loss felt by his family and friends,” it said in a May news release.

Desir’s family has taken to court to urge Florida officials to release the jailhouse surveillance footage of the incident to the public, which they have seen and are barred from discussing publicly.