CONWAY, Ark. — The 20th Judicial District prosecuting attorney said that a Conway man who died while in police custody in July 2023 was "determined to be an accident" with the cause being complications from sickle cell trait and "exertion, apprehension, and methamphetamine use."
Officials released the autopsy report and other documents late Thursday related to the death of 26-year-old Deitric Williams Jr. He died while in police custody after officers with the Conway Police Department chased him in an on-foot pursuit.
The Conway Police Department posted a statement online on Friday confirming that the death was ruled accidental.
Police were originally called to the parking lot of the McDonald's on Oak Street of Williams and a woman "fighting inside a vehicle" around 11:44 a.m. on July 17, 2023.
Officers claim Williams did not comply with exiting the car and pulled him out and that's when he started running. Police say once he was apprehend he began to "exhibit signs of medical distress." Officials said he died at a hospital around 4:18 p.m.
Carol Crews, the prosecuting attorney for the 20th Judicial District, sent a letter to Col. Mike Hagar on Dec. 20 of last year regarding the case. While the investigative file was received on Sept. 15, the autopsy was not completed until Dec. 2023.
"Now having all the information in this case, I do not believe that any evidence exists to support criminal charges against any Conway Police officers involved in the incident," Crews said in the letter.
Crews said that once Williams was in a struggle with an officer trying to handcuff him, he "almost immediately" indicated he was in distress. After being handcuffed, officers moved him to the shade as they waited for an ambulance to arrive. "It should be noted that it was a very hot July day in Arkansas."
The state autopsy lists his manner of death as "accidental" and the cause to be "complication from sickle cell trait" with a contributing cause of "exertion, apprehension, and methamphetamine use."
The prosecuting attorney noted that bodycams worn by officers "recorded the entire interaction" and that "at no point was he struck, tazed, or beaten or in any other way, harmed."
In the video, officers can be seen chasing Williams and when they catch up to him he is on the ground breathing heavily. While one officer tries to get him to put his hands behind his back he struggles to physically meet the commands due to his exhaustion.
"All the evidence shows that this was a tragic accident, which results from his sickle cell trait, methamphetamine use, and physical exertion in fleeing from law enforcement," Crews said.
The Conway Police Department released five bodycam videos on YouTube, which you can watch here.