Wrongful death lawsuit filed against city, Greenville Police in Custody Death of Black Man
The father of a man who died in police custody three years ago has brought a wrongful death suit against the city of Greenville and the police officers involved in the incident. Eugene Allen Boseman, 41, of Greenville died after police removed him from the travel lanes of Memorial Drive on March 7, 2002. He was wearing boxer shorts and a T-shirt and behaving erratically. The lawsuit lists Allen Boseman Sr., the father, as plaintiff on behalf of the son's estate. Boseman died after officers struggled to subdue him. The State Bureau of Investigation investigated the incident, and Pitt County District Attorney Clark Everett decided not to prosecute the officers involved after reviewing the results of the investigation. The Pitt County medical examiner reported that Boseman "died as a result of agitated delirium caused by cocaine use, psychosis and stopping antipsychotic medications." Obesity and heart disease contributed to the death, the report said. The $15 million suit filed March 10 in federal court in Greenville alleges the officers' actions violated Boseman's constitutional rights and caused his death. Greenville Police Chief Joe Simonowich said his officers followed state and departmental procedures for dealing with mentally ill people. While the medical examiner found multiple bruises on Boseman's body apparently resulting from the contact with officers, none of the injuries contributed to his death, the examiner said. Boseman, who was infected with the virus that causes AIDS, inflicted a deep bite wound on one of the officer's hands. That officer, Armarlin Richardson, is named in the suit, along with six "unknown officers" and Greenville Mayor Don Parrott. Calvin Henderson, president of the Pitt County Chapter of the NAACP, said the organization "has worked hard to obtain justice in this case," which he claims involves "gross police misconduct and brutality," and an "official cover-up" in the wake of Boseman's death. [more] and [more]