Asphyxia means a person’s body doesn’t get enough oxygen, which can lead to injury or death.
This announcement came a day after Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said he was placing on leave 10 correctional staff who were involved in restraining Black.
Streck said the staff were put on paid administrative leave as a procedural step after he was informed that positional asphyxia likely was the cause of death.
Christian Black was taken into custody March 23 after allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle on Interstate 70 in Englewood. Crews took him to a local hospital for treatment, then to the Montgomery County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.
While at the jail early the next morning, Black was involved in a fight with jail staff, who used force to subdue him, including using a Taser.
Later in the day, the sheriff’s office said Black forcefully and repeatedly hit his head on the cell door, and jail staff entered the room to subdue him again. A second fight broke out, with staff again using a Taser on Black as well as pepper spray.
He was then put in handcuffs and an emergency restraint chair, and medics were called to take him to the hospital to be checked. While they waited, the sheriff’s office said, Black’s condition deteriorated and he went into full arrest. Staff performed CPR, administered oxygen and medicine and used a defibrillator on Black before medics arrived and took him to the hospital.
Black was declared dead two days later. His death is being investigated by the Dayton Police Department as well as the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
After Streck’s statement on Thursday, attorneys for Black’s family released a statement.
“After watching the horrific video, it is clear to the family why the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office ruled Mr. Black’s death a homicide,” they wrote.
The attorney said Black was shocked with a Taser and placed in a headlock after he was restrained and could be seen struggling to breathe. They called for criminal charges to be brought against the jail employees “for their callous treatment of Mr. Black.”
The sheriff said that he promised the family that after the criminal investigations that there would be “a thorough internal review and investigation to ensure accountability and transparency.”
A Dayton Daily News analysis of Ohio jail data for 2023 found that more people died after being put in custody at the Montgomery County jail than at any other jail in Ohio. That year, seven people died after being put in the jail’s custody.
The following year, another inmate died in custody after taking a gun from an officer while receiving care at Kettering Health Dayton.
