Officials of the public safety department at the University of Cincinnati (UC) are maintaining that the UC Police division officers followed proper procedure when subduing a University Hospital patient Jan. 20. The patient died Jan. 23, and the cause of his death is unknown.
The patient, Kelly Brinson, was being escorted to a room for medical evaluation on the hospital’s eighth floor, the psychiatric ward, when officers said he attempted to assault one of the escorts, reports The News Record.
Although he was initially restrained, UC Public Safety Director Gene Ferrara said Brinson became violent again once he was in the examination room. Officials once again tried to restrain the patient, with Officer Mark Zacharias pulling out his stun gun in an attempt to shoot Brinson.
However, Zacharias had to position the Taser to manually make contact with the patient’s body, according to the news report.
During the incident, five offers from the division and members of the hospital staff and security were involved. Two UCPD officers were injured in the incident, although they did not suffer any lasting harm.
Zacharias, who stated that Brinson tried to cause physical harm by swinging his right fist, is on paid administrative leave but could return to duty once he receives proper permission from the police psychologist.
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