Coroner rules East Grand Rapids man did not die as a result of taser

The death of Matthew Bolick last month was not the result of multiple blasts from the East Grand Rapids police tasers, a forensic pathologist has ruled.

The Grand Rapids Press reports that Dr. David Start has ruled Bolick’s death the result of excited delirium syndrome.

The psychotic disorder, punctuated by delusions, aggressive agitation and fits of superhuman strength, determined as the cause of death led to a sudden heart attack, Start said. Start said acute psychosis was a contributing factor to Bolick’s death.
The delirium condition — which is often criticized by civil liberties advocates as a cover up for police brutality — generally is related to drug use. Start said Bolick’s toxicology screens showed no evidence of narcotics in the victim’s system.

“This appears to be purely a psychotic form,” Start said. “There was nothing else involved and we don’t know triggered such a change in him from what others describe.”

Bolick died after receiving multiple jolts from the East Grand Rapids police department taser. Officers had been called to Bolick’s home by his father, and officers say the 30-year-old man jumped through a window and assaulted an officer. Officers wrestled with Bolick before he was hit with the taser, and it required several shots from the device which delivers an electrical charge into a target before he could be subdued. He died shortly after.

The East Grand Rapids case was only one of several cases that came to light recently, including Michigan State Police officers tasering a 17-year-old girl in Traverse City in October and November, Lansing Police suspended an officer for deploying a taser on a handcuffed man.

Despite the high profile cases, including Bolick’s, State Rep. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) says he still supports his plan to expand access to tasers to Michigan citizens.