Though it is supported by some in law enforcement and emergency medicine, it is not recognized by the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization or the American Psychiatric Association. I truly believe, was in his right mind up until the time he passed out.Įlijah McClain's case is not an isolated one.Ī 2018 review of 66 studies and articles referencing excited delirium found it was cited in more than 10% of deaths in police custody. Sheneen McClain: When I hear him on that tape, I hear him completely sane- completely in his right mind. John Dickerson: When you listen to the audio of the arrest, do you hear him being delirious? I think there's always, you know, in pathology, there's, uh, a best guess for a lack of a better term. Do you see problems in that? Or do you think it's an airtight term?ĭave Young: Well, I think it's science. John Dickerson: The term excited delirium… Not all doctors agree that it even exists as a condition.
You can't file a homicide charge without cause of death. Because- you're missing a key element to a homicide investigation. And the answer to that question is it made it easier.
John Dickerson: Did the excited delirium being included in the autopsy make your job easier or harder in terms of making your final determination?ĭave Young: That's a good question. The county coroner, who consulted with police in conducting the autopsy, concluded the cause of McClain's death was undetermined because he may have died from a host of possible causes, including excited delirium.Īnd that possibility, District Attorney Dave Young said, convinced him he could not win a homicide case against the officers. That policy is now on hold and under review in the wake of McClain's death. What the heck is going on here that they had to use that amount of ketamine? Why isn't that the same thing?ĭave Young: They have a policy in the city of Aurora that says, "Paramedics do this when you have these circumstances." And they follow that policy. John Dickerson: Let me borrow that sentence from you.
Dave Young: Well, if it was the carotid hold, and the pathologist came in and said, "He died from strangulation." And then I would have to look and say, "What the heck is goin' on here? Why did they have to use that amount of force under these circumstances?"
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