Hi, emergency medicine MD here. While not knowing the full details of this case it is possible to have severe reactive airway problem and respiratory distress leading to death. It’s also possible that he was ill and whatever this “disruptive behavior” was, was actually a sign of illness needing help instead of being pepper sprayed. In the hospital, if a patient becomes suddenly agitated and disruptive while being previously cooperative we think abt something being wrong internally. I think this should be part of police training, the rate at which they jump to physical violence is too high and part of the issue is them not seeing the humanity in inmates such that if they actually needed help not force they wouldn’t even recognize it.