Caddo Parish Coroner Doctor Todd Thoma determines a 63-year-old black man died of febrile delirium while in the custody of Shreveport first responders last April. Thoma says paramedics and police were called to Wavey Austin’s apartment because he was delusional and uncooperative, so he was handcuffed to conduct a medical evaluation.
“While the fire department was evaluating him and had a cardiac monitor on him, his heart rate started to slow, it went down to 20 beats per minute, then it eventually stopped,” said Thoma.
Thoma says there was no struggle with police or significant signs of trauma.
“There was only a few abrasions on his wrists where the handcuffs were but there was no bruising or contusions or bleeding internally or broken bones,” said Thoma.
Febrile delirium is an acute and transient confusional state with a high fever. Austin was running a fever of 101.5 at the time of this death and was found to have an enlarged heart contributing to arrhythmia.
Thoma says first responders worked quickly to apply medical care to Austin.
“I don’t think anything was done wrong. When you ask if something was possibly preventable, the answer is you never know unless you get somebody to the emergency department but I don’t think there was a delay in this situation that I would have labeled as being a preventable death,” said Thoma.
A Facebook group called 45 days of Action Shreveport are seeking answers on why Austin and Tommie McGlothen died in police custody in April. Thoma ruled McGlothen died from excited delirium, but there is video showing officers hitting McGlothen.
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