Pedro Gonzales Jr.
Pedro Gonzalez's wife, Diana Gonzales, said he had a 13-year-old daughter and two sons who loved him, and his family sold an old van to pay for a simple funeral. Pasadena police said officers used force to restrain him on July 21, 2007, and that he was later found dead in a holding cell at the Pasadena Jail around 7:30 a.m. Preliminary autopsy reports, cited by police, describe a punctured lung related to a fractured rib. Family and activists dispute police accounts, question the injuries, and are calling for a federal inquiry while local investigations continue.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Pasadena police say force was needed to restrain him and preliminary autopsy reports cite a punctured lung from a fractured rib, while his family and activists dispute the police account, question the injuries, and call for a federal inquiry.
Reported by: Pasadena police (the agency that held him); preliminary autopsy reports; his family and activists.