Brandon Ellingson
Brandon Ellingson was an Arizona State University student from suburban Des Moines and captain of the Valley High School football team in Iowa. His father said, "He was a good kid," and the family has funded a scholarship and a memorial in his name. Ellingson drowned in May 2014 on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri while in the custody of a state trooper. The family's federal lawsuit says he fell into the water while handcuffed and wearing a life vest that was not properly secured. The state agreed in November 2016 to pay $9 million to settle the lawsuit, and as of that reporting the trooper faced a pending manslaughter charge.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (disputed; neglect alleged). The Ellingson family's federal lawsuit says a Missouri state trooper left Brandon handcuffed and wearing an improperly secured life vest, and he fell into the lake and drowned.
Reported by: Ellingson family, in federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Kansas City Star (reporters).
Lawsuit: His family sued and the State of Missouri agreed in November 2016 to pay $9 million to settle the case, while a Missouri state trooper faces a pending manslaughter charge over his death.