Wrongful death suit alleges BPD officers failed to save overdosing man, walked by cell 7 times

A wrongful death suit that alleges that Boston police officers failed to provide life-saving medical care to an overdosing inmate will proceed after a federal judge denied two officers’ motion to dismiss the case, according to a statement from the ACLU of Massachusetts.

According to the ACLU, BPD officers failed to administer medical care to Shayne Stilphen despite apparent signs he was suffering from an overdose after being picked up from the area of Mass and Cass in July 2019.

According to the ACLU, even after displaying apparent overdose symptoms, Stilphen was placed into a cell by himself, where he proceed to periodically ingest drugs over the next two hours. The complaint alleges that even after Stilphen slumped forward with his limp torso hanging awkwardly over his legs, police walked by his cell seven times over an hour-long period without checking on the man.

“Shayne had a disease, and needed help,” said Lynnel Cox, mother of Shayne Stilphen, in the statement. “Shayne was my only son, and I miss his warm spirit every day. Nothing has been the same since he has died. Everyone held in police custody is somebody’s child. Nobody deserves to die like Shayne did, and no family deserves to lose their loved one like we did. It gives me hope that this case can now continue to the next stage of litigation, because I do not want anyone else to experience this constant and unbearable pain.”

By the time an officer finally did administer Naracane, it was too late, according to the ACLU.

The legal suit complains that BPD’s failings occurred even after a man died in the same police station under similar circumstances two months before. According to the ACLU, the complaint alleges that no BPD officers were disciplined in that previous death and no new policies were implemented. Policies that may have saved Stilphen’s life, according to the ACLU.

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