A North Chicago man’s death following a police encounter has
been reclassified as a “homicide” after a second medical examination revealed
that he would not have died “but for the actions of police.”
Darrin Hannah, 45,
before and after brutal police encounter. Images courtesy of the Chicago Sun
Times.
Officers went out to North Chicago resident Darrin Hanna’s
apartment on November 6, 2011 responding to a domestic disturbance call.
Witnesses say about 20 minutes later Hannah was wheeled out of the apartment on
a stretcher with a sheet covering his face.
He was taken to the Vista Medical Center East hospital where
he died a week later.
Hanna, 45, was reported to have lunged at police with fists
clenched yelling, “Shoot Me!” at which point he was restrained by police while
they initiated multiple baton beatings and Taser shocks. At least 11 Taser
marks were found on his body, according to the initial autopsy, despite police
reports only mentioning two or three Taser attempts.
Originally previous Lake County coroner Artis Yancey had
classified the death as “undetermined” saying a “combination of complications,”
including “Acute and chronic cocaine abuse, physical trauma and restraint,
Taser restraint, poorly controlled hypertension and chronic renal
insufficiency,” all played a part; however, newly-elected coroner Dr. Thomas
Rudd re-examined the evidence and has declared that Hanna would still be alive
“but for the actions of police.”
“In making this judgment, I used the National Association of
Medical Examiners Manner of Death Classification principle that states ‘but for
the injury (or hostile environment), would the person have died when he or she
did?’” Rudd stated, according to the Chicago Sun Times. “This logic is often
cited as a way to determine whether a death should be classified as natural, or
non-natural, i.e. homicide, accident, or suicide.”
“It must be emphasized that the classification of homicide
for the purposes of death investigation is a neutral term and neither indicates
nor implies criminal intent, which remains within the province of legal
processes,” Rudd was quick to point out.
The original findings set off a wave of protests dedicated
to seeking justice and accountability for Hannah.
The Sun Times reported that Officer Brandon Yost, a six-year
police force veteran, was fired after an independent, internal investigation
found that he had “lied when he said Hanna tried to bite and head-butt him and
that he also lied on a Use of Force Report.” Another officer, Arthur Strong,
was suspended for 30 days “for falsifying a report by claiming Hanna came out
of the bedroom swinging a flashlight.” Five other officers involved in the
incident are not mentioned in subsequent reports.
The new ruling lends credence to Hannah’s girlfriend Dionne
Wilcox’s version of events.
Since that night, Wilcox and others have argued that
Hannah’s death was misreported by police and members of her own family.
According to the Sun Times:
“She said Hanna had heard a rumor that she was cheating, and
that after they argued, he slapped and punched her when she tried to leave the
apartment.”
“Wilcox said she took a bath to calm down and that she and
Hanna were sitting on the end of the bed in the dark when police broke through
the apartment door with their guns drawn. Hanna did not yell “Shoot me, shoot
me,” as officers reported, Wilcox said, but stood up and walked toward the
door.”
In April 2012, a Freedom of Information Act request produced
police audio of the event.