Kevon Todd died of an accidental drug overdose shortly after a confrontation with deputies at a South Florida airport in April, officials said. NBC 6’s Kim Wynne reports.
A Black man died of an accidental drug overdose shortly after a confrontation with deputies at a South Florida airport in April, according to an autopsy report released Friday.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement that the county medical examiner has found that the deputies who took Kevon Todd, 29, into custody did not contribute to his death. The medical examiner's report listed acute eutylone intoxication as the official cause of death. Eutylone is a stimulant that officials consider a novel designer drug.
Deputies at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport had stopped Todd on April 9 as he attempted to breach a security checkpoint, authorities said. He had been yelling at JetBlue staff members before he rushed the security area, officials said. Deputies said Todd had seemed irrational, but it wasn't clear then what was causing the condition.
After a physical struggle, deputies detained Todd and brought him to the front of the terminal. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue was evaluating Todd when he became unresponsive, officials said. Rescue workers began life-saving measures and transported Todd to the hospital, where he died.
Deputies involved in the struggle sustained minor injuries.
Tony said he's directing the Fire Rescue department to review is procedures to make sure everything was done to save Todd. The State Attorney's Office will review the case.
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This comes after the family of Todd said in a Thursday news conference that months had passed and they still weren't given any details about the incident, including why he died.
"Kevon Todd’s family was disappointed about the way they finally received the information they have been requesting for almost three months. It felt like an ambush to finally receive this information through the media," the attorney representing Todd's family said in a statement Friday night. "That being said, they are relieved to have the video footage which confirms that excessive force contributed to Kevon’s death. While the Medical Examiner’s Report states that no tasing was deployed, the video appears to show Kevon being tased. Police then misinterpreted the signs of a seizure as Mr. Todd resisting arrest. The family will continue to review the evidence, but based on the initial evidence, the family believes excessive force played a part in his unfortunate death."
