CONWAY, Ark. — Two people died while in custody of Conway Police on July 17 and 18. While details are few, here's what we know:
- Arkansas State Police is handling both investigations
- Requests for information have been denied until the two investigations are over
- The Conway Police Department said on Facebook that passing the investigations to ASP is standard practice
The most recent incident happened Tuesday just before 5 p.m.
According to reports, the Conway Police Department was dispatched on a call regarding a man who was reportedly yelling in people's yards.
Once officers arrived at the corner of South Center Street and Hardy Street, they found 44-year-old Ricky Freiberg unresponsive on the ground. Authorities said EMTs were called to the scene and officers gave Freiberg one dose of Narcan.
As they waited for medical personnel to show up, police said the man became "disoriented and combative."
Once officers were able to gain control of the man, they put him in handcuffs until medical help arrived and he was then taken to the hospital.
Freiberg died around 5:54 p.m.
That in-custody death comes a little over 24 hours after 26-year-old Deitric Williams died following an on-foot pursuit with Conway police.
Williams was "fighting inside a vehicle" with a woman around 11:44 a.m. in the parking lot of the McDonald's on Oak Street when authorities were called to the scene.
Conway police asked Williams for identification, prompting the man to search his car. When Williams allegedly did not comply with exiting the vehicle, he was pulled out and started running.
According to Conway Police Department, Williams led officers on a foot chase until he was taken into custody behind a residence on Gum Street.
Once in custody, police said he "began to exhibit signs of medical distress."
Williams died at a local area hospital around 4:18 p.m.
We've looked into the use of force and duty to intervene policies for Conway police, and we have them linked both here and here.
THV11 has requested any information on either incident, including body cam video. We've been told that information cannot be released pending the conclusion of the ASP investigation.
We also reached out to the City of Conway but were told they won't comment during ASP's investigation.