Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — Former Dallas County inmate Gregory Kitchen died after struggling with jail guards because of “complications of physical restraint,” the medical examiner has ruled.
Kitchen, 32, died Jan. 22 after having an “acute psychotic episode” that led to the altercation with the guards, the autopsy report said.
His autopsy report noted there was neck restraint during the struggle and that Kitchen stopped breathing “while being restrained face down.” One guard was kneeling on his back during the restraint, the report said.
Guards sprayed Kitchen in the face twice with pepper spray, and he stopped breathing less than a minute after the second blast, according to the report. That was listed as one of the complications of restraint.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. That doesn’t mean he was murdered. It just means his death was caused by others. The Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the matter to see whether any guards acted inappropriately.
Obesity and an enlarged heart contributed to Kitchen’s death, the autopsy report said.
Kitchen, an Army vet who served in Iraq, had a history of post-traumatic stress disorder and had suffered recent psychotic episodes prior to his death, the autopsy report said.
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