A Virginian man has died two days after getting into an altercation with a security guard at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
Philip Whitaker, 64, got into a confrontation with the guard on August 7 when he entered VCU’s outpatient pharmacy. Witnesses say the guard approached Whitaker and told him to get to the back of a line as he was picking up his prescription. Soon after the conversation began, one witness says she saw the guard “Grab him and throw him.”
Hospital staff called 911 after seeing blood and inspecting Whitaker’s head, according to nbc12.com. He was taken to the emergency room and surgery was conducted to stop the bleeding in his brain. Whitaker was later taken off life support by his family on August 9.
Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed against the guard this Wednesday, and the Richmond Police Department has taken over the investigation, reviewing video surveillance footage of the incident. The guard was a contract worker and is no longer employed with the pharmacy.
