Andre Thomas died about an hour after he was subdued by police in the Pittsburgh suburb of Swissvale

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Andre Thomas died about an hour after he was subdued by police in the Pittsburgh suburb of Swissvale just before midnight Aug. 4. Thomas' family contends excessive police force, including the Taser, caused or contributed to the 37-year-old man's death. Pittsburgh-area man who died shortly after being zapped with a police Taser died from cocaine intoxication that stopped his heart, and there is no evidence the electric shock contributed to his death, a medical examiner said.Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams announced Wednesday that he concluded Thomas "died of a direct consequence of the consumption of cocaine." Thomas' blood-pressure medicine could have contributed to the cocaine-fueled "acute delirium" that caused cardiac arrest, Williams said, but the medical examiner stopped short of listing it on the death certificate.While technically an "overdose" because the drugs caused Thomas' death, Williams said the cocaine level in Thomas' blood was typical of "recreational" use and was not considered a lethal dose. Williams, with the help of an 11-slide computer presentation, discussed the case at a news conference Wednesday.Thomas' death, and another August case involving a drug overdose victim who had to be hospitalized after police used a Taser on him, has prompted District Attorney Stephen Zappala to name a panel headed by former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Ralph Cappy to study police use of the devices. The Pittsburgh Police Citizens' Review Board also wants officers to be certified to use the stun devices even though city officers weren't involved in Thomas' death.Howard Messer, the Pittsburgh attorney representing Thomas' family, said he doesn't believe Thomas died of a cocaine overdose, despite what Williams said."A diagnosis that portends to link cocaine ingestion with heart failure based on the facts of this case is simply an untenable position," Messer said.Thomas' cousin, Lee Davis, attended Williams' news conference and said: "I think at the end of the day we heard a lot of big talk and didn't get any answers."
Davis said he doubts Thomas would have died "on his own" had police not intervened.
Williams was asked if Thomas would have died from the cocaine in his system had he not also encountered the police."I don't think there's any way of predicting that," he responded.Messer has said Thomas attended a barbecue with friends and drank some wine before driving with a friend to Swissvale, where Thomas "became excited" and got out of the car. Williams said blood samples show he also used cocaine an hour or two before he was confronted by police.Police said Thomas had been trying to enter people's homes and they used the Taser after Thomas made "furtive movements" toward officers.Some witnesses said Thomas was not necessarily trying to break into the homes, but may have been seeking help for fear , real or imagined , that someone was trying to kill him. Williams said paranoia is one symptom of acute delirium.Messer said Thomas wasn't engaged in a crime or a threat to the police when they used the Taser. He said Thomas had 17 cuts or bruises, mostly on his face or arms, that prove police responded violently.Williams said those injuries were largely "superficial" and most were consistent with being handcuffed or scraping the concrete as he struggled with police.
More importantly, Williams said, there was no evidence that Thomas' chest was compressed by police force and no internal trauma that would indicate that an injury contributed to his death.
Messer said Thomas' family may file a wrongful death suit, but can't decide that until the forensic pathologist they hired completes his autopsy. That pathologist, Dr. Cyril Wecht, was Williams' predecessor and is well known for investigating famous deaths including JonBenet Ramsey's, Elvis Presley's and Vince Foster's.
Williams said after the news conference that he doubts Wecht's findings will conflict with his. But Messer said he's not sure how Williams can make that claim, since the attorney said he had to go to court to get blood, tissue and body fluid samples from Williams' office that Wecht needs to finish his autopsy.
"Any representations Dr. Williams made that Dr. Wecht has what he needs to make that determination is altogether inaccurate," Messer said.