Nov 10, 2009 6:04 pm US/Eastern
Boston Police Cleared In Celtic Fan's Death
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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David Woodman died 11 days after he stopped breathing while being arrested during a Celtics championship game celebration in the streets of Boston.
WBZ
An independent investigation of the
death of a Boston Celtics fan who became ill in police custody has found that officers acted "reasonably," but that fan's family is taking issue with the findings.
Tuesday's report by former U.S. attorney Donald Stern did find an accountability gap, saying it wasn't clear who was monitoring 22-year-old David Woodman after he was arrested. None of the six officers on the scene ever wrote a report of the arrest.
Read: The Full Report (.pdf)
Woodman was arrested on a public drinking charge June 18, 2008, during the Celtics' championship celebrations near Kenmore Square.
Police say Woodman was handcuffed and laid on the ground. The Stern Report says four to five minutes passed before any of the officers noticed Woodman wasn't breathing.
Stern said the officers quickly provided medical aid when Woodman had breathing problems and did not contribute to his death. But he recommended police be given more training in managing similar situations.
David Woodman's parents have been critical of the police response from the beginning.
"They're getting away with it. They're responsible for my son's death," Cathy Woodman said after the report was released Tuesday. "The cover-up just keeps growing."
Jeff Woodman believes his son was beaten and then ignored. "This was nothing more than street justice, and my son is dead."
The state medical examiner found Woodman died from a heart arrhythmia, a pre-existing condition.
Prosecutors have declined to file criminal charges in his death.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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