2 days ago
Medical records shed new light on man's death in Baltimore police custody
Dontae Melton Jr.'s mother has waited for answers about the death of her son while in Baltimore police custody for nearly two months.
Melton was restrained while having a mental health crisis on June 24 in West Baltimore.
His family has yet to see any police body-worn camera video but has tried to piece together his final moments through police dispatch audio and medical records.
Tuesday marks eight weeks since Melton died in Baltimore police custody after officers shackled and handcuffed him during a mental health crisis. Authorities said he was restrained for his own safety because he was going in and out of traffic
Melton's mother, Eleshiea Goode, said she has been left in the dark.
"The word I can use is just agonizing," Goode said. "The uncertainty of it all. I think about my son every single day, and I just need answers."
Medical records WJZ Investigates obtained state, "Prior to becoming unresponsive, he was reportedly hallucinating and stating that someone was chasing him and was observed banging his head on the floor of the police car."
"How? Is he still handcuffed and shackled?" his mother asked. "And why wasn't he secured? Why wasn't he in a seatbelt?"
The medical records say Melton "was noted to be frothing at the mouth" after his arrest.
They state, "There was a delay in care as medics were called, but the patient was transported to the firehouse and then directly to the emergency department. Upon arrival, he was unresponsive and pulseless."
The incident happened at West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road.
With no lights or sirens, it took WJZ two minutes and 23 seconds to get to the emergency room at Grace Medical Center, where Melton was eventually taken.
The medical records reveal he was "in full cardiac arrest. CPR was initiated, including administration of epinephrine and atropine, and the patient regained a pulse with a strong blood pressure. He subsequently experienced recurrent episodes of severe bradycardia, with heart rates as low as 29-30 bpm, requiring additional doses of atropine and epinephrine while on a Levophed drip."
Baltimore's computer-aided dispatch system also went down that night, meaning police and fire could not communicate.
"Where the hell did they take my son?" Eleshiea Goode asked. "A firehouse? Then to the hospital? That doesn't make any sense."
The body camera video has yet to be released.
Maryland attorney general's office, which is leading the investigation, normally releases footage within 20 days but has delayed that in this case "due to the technical complexity and volume of officer recordings involved."
They have listed 10 officers in the response.
"I don't know what happened. I don't know anything. Nothing from the authorities," Goode said.
