Friday
Apr222005
Wrongful death lawsuit filed against city, Greenville Police in Custody Death of Black Man
Friday, April 22, 2005 at 10:58PM
The father of a man who died in police
custody three years ago has brought a wrongful death suit against the
city of Greenville and the police officers involved in the incident.
Eugene Allen Boseman, 41, of Greenville died after police removed him
from the travel lanes of Memorial Drive on March 7, 2002. He was
wearing boxer shorts and a T-shirt and behaving erratically. The
lawsuit lists Allen Boseman Sr., the father, as plaintiff on behalf of
the son's estate. Boseman died after officers struggled to subdue him.
The State Bureau of Investigation investigated the incident, and Pitt
County District Attorney Clark Everett decided not to prosecute the
officers involved after reviewing the results of the investigation. The
Pitt County medical examiner reported that Boseman "died as a result of
agitated delirium caused by cocaine use, psychosis and stopping
antipsychotic medications." Obesity and heart disease contributed to
the death, the report said. The $15 million suit filed March 10 in
federal court in Greenville alleges the officers' actions violated
Boseman's constitutional rights and caused his death. Greenville Police
Chief Joe Simonowich said his officers followed state and departmental
procedures for dealing with mentally ill people. While the medical
examiner found multiple bruises on Boseman's body apparently resulting
from the contact with officers, none of the injuries contributed to his
death, the examiner said. Boseman, who was infected with the virus that
causes AIDS, inflicted a deep bite wound on one of the officer's hands.
That officer, Armarlin Richardson, is named in the suit, along with six
"unknown officers" and Greenville Mayor Don Parrott. Calvin Henderson,
president of the Pitt County Chapter of the NAACP, said the
organization "has worked hard to obtain justice in this case," which he
claims involves "gross police misconduct and brutality," and an
"official cover-up" in the wake of Boseman's death. [more] and [more]