Demetrius Shankling
Demetrius Shankling, 23, was being transported by Boulder County sheriff's deputies in September 2018 when, according to reporting on body camera and surveillance video, deputies placed him face-down in a van compartment on the way to the Addiction Recovery Center. The video reporting says his legs were lifted and one leg was wedged in the door, and when the van arrived he was unresponsive and not breathing. He spent 27 days in a coma and died on October 6, 2018. An autopsy attributed his death to positional asphyxia, with alcohol and amphetamine as contributing factors, and the forensic pathologist ruled the manner a homicide. His grandmother said she spent every day with him in the intensive care unit, and two former deputies were later convicted of manslaughter.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff. The forensic pathologist ruled the death a homicide from positional asphyxia after Boulder County deputies placed him face-down in a transport van compartment.
Reported by: forensic pathologist; news reporting on body camera and surveillance video.