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Cedric Lofton: Black teen's death ruled homicide, cops left him face down, handcuffed

Cedric Lofton, 17, of Wichita, Kansas, who died on September 26, was 'exhibiting erratic and aggressive behavior,' said his autopsy report

A Kansas teen died after he was left face down and handcuffed following his arrest for becoming 'aggressive' with officers who responded to a call at his foster home after the teen reportedly behaved in an agitated manner. Cedric Lofton, 17, of Wichita, Kansas, died on September 26 at a Sedgwick County juvenile jail. An autopsy report revealed that he was taken into custody after "running away from his foster home, returning, and then exhibiting erratic and aggressive behavior" toward his foster family. 

According to the release, the Kansas teen ran away on September 21 due to a "mental health crisis," and returned on September 24. After that, the Kansas Bureau of Investigations said that the teen appeared paranoid. Although the authorities tried to convince him to voluntarily seek mental health treatment, he was ultimately taken into custody after he assaulted the officers. He was arrested on suspicion of battery against a law enforcement officer. Following his arrest, he was put in a cell at a Sedgwick County juvenile center for 90 minutes. According to KBI, he became "uncooperative and agitated" when he was taken to the lobby to be processed. Lofton allegedly punched an employee in the head which caused the officers to handcuff him. The authorities put him facedown on the floor after "a lengthy physical struggle."

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Cedric Lofton's death

Forty-eight minutes after being released from his cell, Lofton was put in the prone position. He calmed down, fell asleep, and "made occasional snoring sounds." But soon after, the teenager did not have a pulse, despite being given chest compressions and even after emergency services were called in. Lofton was declared dead two days later in the hospital.

The staff who were involved in his restraint were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. Medical examiner Timothy S. Gorrill ruled the teen's death a homicide on December 21. "In my opinion, Cedric Lofton died as a result of complications of cardiopulmonary arrest sustained after physical struggle while restrained in the prone position," Gorrill said in the report. "The manner of death is homicide."

Lesson from George Floyd

A discussion on prone positions was sparked after Lofton's death, which first came into prominence after the death of George Floyd in the police custody in Minneapolis. The specific position can cause breathing difficulty, and limit or cut off the supply of oxygen to the heart and brain, the Washington Post reported. Derek Chauvin was the Minneapolis police officer who held Floyd down on his stomach while arresting him; he was convicted in the death and is serving a 22-year prison sentence. 

Citing that case, the Lofton family's attorney, Steven Hart, said authorities "should know from the Floyd case alone" that the position increased risk of death. "That’s what’s equally disturbing. Authorities can’t plausibly suggest that putting someone in the prone position is a safe thing to do. It’s a conscious disregard for safety — and their life," Hart said. Alon Steinberg, the chief of cardiology at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California, told The New York Times in October, "people are dying all the time, and we’re not doing anything about it."