Lamar Bell
Lamar Bell, 33, of Rockford, Illinois, died on July 17, 2023, after Illinois State Police stopped his car near 10th Avenue and Kishwaukee Street. According to body camera footage, he asked officers to call his mother, and while he was in a state police squad car he asked for an ambulance. He was pronounced dead less than an hour after the stop. The coroner's autopsy found no traumatic injury, and state police attributed his death to the adverse effects of cocaine, citing toxicology results, while a later account said an autopsy found an enlarged heart. In November 2023 the Winnebago County State's Attorney declined to charge two troopers, finding the stop lawful and that police had met their duty to render medical aid, and his family mourned him publicly at 10th Avenue Park in Rockford.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed). Illinois State Police, citing the Winnebago County Coroner's Office, attribute his death to adverse effects of cocaine, while an earlier account says the autopsy found an enlarged heart.
Reported by: Illinois State Police (the agency that held him); Winnebago County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner).