OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Officials are releasing body camera video following a man’s death in police custody in May.
In May, Oklahoma City officers were called to Southwest Medical Center on an unrelated call.
When they arrived, they were also notified about a combative patient who had assaulted medical personnel at the hospital.
That suspect, 56-year-old Olain Jefferson, Jr., was arrested.
The body camera footage shows Jefferson struggling to sit up straight or get into the officers’ patrol car.
While at the jail and still in police custody, investigators say Jefferson became involved in a minor use of force with Oklahoma County Jail personnel.
However, any video that captured that portion of the incident was not released to the public.
Authorities say Jefferson suffered some type of medical event during that use of force. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead.
An autopsy by the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Jefferson died from a blood clot that moved to his lungs. The report also showed PCP intoxication, heart disease, and physical exertion as contributing factors in his death.
In June, Black Lives Matter OKC issued a series of demands from the police department, including the release of body camera footage associated with Jefferson’s arrest.
The officers involved in the incident were all cleared of any wrongdoing in September by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
