A teacher who died earlier this year after being hit by a Taser several times during a fight with Los Angeles police officers died from “cardiomyopathy and cocaine use,” according to an autopsy report that came out Friday.
The L.A. County Medical Examiner’s report said that Keenan Anderson, 31, died of “effects of cardiomyopathy and cocaine use” and that his death was “determined hours after restraint and conducted energy device use.”
Anderson’s death was one of three that happened after encounters with LAPD police since the beginning of the year. This made a lot of people angry and upset.
Anderson had been teaching for more than eight years and was working at a private school in Washington, D.C. at the time. During the holidays, Anderson was in the Los Angeles area to see his family.
Police said that Anderson was caught in January for felony hit-and-run after he caused an accident and then tried to get into someone else’s car.
The video from Anderson’s body camera showed him running through traffic after the accident.
He was acting strangely around an LAPD officer, and he was hit with a Taser more than once as police tried to stop him from running into traffic.
His family said that the police used too much force and that the Taser and force were what killed him.
Anderson died in the hospital a few hours after the police encounter.
Following his death, Anderson’s family announced a $50 million damages claim against the city of L.A.
During the January release, Anderson’s cousin and co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors, said she would “fight like hell” for justice for Anderson because “you deserve justice.”
“Keenan, you deserve kindness. You should be in your classroom, helping your kids, Keenan. You should have your wedding day, Keenan. Cullors told Keenan at the time, “You deserve to be a parent to your son.”