SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – An autopsy shows a mentally ill man who died at the Santa Clara County jail in September shortly after being doused with pepper-spray and shot with a barrage of plastic bullets actually died of natural causes.
Thirty-two-year-old Walter Roches was found to have died from a severe blood infection from a chronic urinary tract infection.
Roches’ body was found Sept. 28, one week after he was involved in a confrontation with guards that led to the forcible removal from his cell.
After Roches’ death, Sheriff Laurie Smith banned guards and medical staff from using plastic bullets and chemical sprays when dealing with mentally ill or disabled patients.
The Santa Clara County jail has been the subject of heightened scrutiny after a slew of suspicious deaths, with many questioning officers’ use of force.