Report: EMS gave Raleigh man calming drug just before he died

A Wake County EMS crew administered a drug called Versed in an attempt to calm Carl Devince King just before his breathing became shallow and his heart stopped, according to a report released by Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown on Friday.

After 40 minutes of CPR and other efforts to revive King, 52, he was pronounced dead at the house where police had been sent Monday to answer a call about a disturbance. A preliminary examination by the medical examiner’s office did not find an obvious cause of death, and a full autopsy report will not be complete until the results of toxicology tests are available, Deck-Brown wrote in the report to City Manager Ruffin Hall.

Five police officers have been placed on administrative duty as a result of King’s death, which is being investigated both by the Raleigh Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation.

Police were called to 3032 Slippery Elm Drive at about 5:30 a.m. Monday by a woman who lived with King and said he was “going crazy” and that she was scared, according to a recording of the call released earlier in the week. When police arrived, they found King “sitting on the floor of the entryway, naked, yelling, sweating profusely and swinging a wooden lamp back and forth violently.”

Officers A.L. Council and A.J. Williams approached King, grabbed the lamp and took control of his hands, according to the report. They put on handcuffs with King’s arms in front of him, but he continued to resist the officers and “tried to bite them, all while screaming loudly and making growling sounds.” Council and Williams called for other officers and for EMS.

A third officer, Sgt. D.R. Williams, arrived and helped remove the handcuffs, roll King over and reapply them so his arms were behind his back, according to the report. King continued to “thrash around, yell, growl and attempt to bite officers.” Another officer, C.J. Flagler, applied a “leg hobble restraint,” in an attempt to keep King from kicking, and the officers then tried to roll King on his side.

EMS arrived and began to evaluate King’s condition, the report said. EMS gave King a standard dose of Versed, a brand name for midazolam, a drug often used to produce sleepiness or drowsiness and relieve anxiety before surgery or other procedures. King’s breathing became shallow, and he became unresponsive, according to the report.

Police removed the handcuffs, and EMS began CPR with assistance from police officer S.A. Brown and the Raleigh Fire Department. After about 40 minutes, King was declared dead.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Report: EMS gave Raleigh man calming drug just before he died."