Omar Moreno  Arroyo

33-years-old Californian man, Omar Moreno Arroyo, has died in the San Diego County custody. Arroyo was detained on January 6 in his own home on suspicion of drug use. Shortly before midnight on the same date, Omar suffocated while awaiting release from a holding cell. Presumably, death occurred due to blockage of the respiratory system by a medical mask.

It is still unclear why the arrest itself occurred – the state of California has anti-coronavirus measures to reduce prison overcrowding, according to which it is recommended to cite people for certain crimes instead of taking them into custody.

The sheriff’s department published a report on the incident only in late March, after public statements by the widow of the deceased that the department had sealed to the case and for several months did not give her answers about the circumstances of her husband’s death.

The very account of Arroyo’s death leaves many questions that the authorities cannot answer. There is a video in which Omar falls from a bench in a seizure, however, there is no information about what preceded the incident. There is also no information on whether the prison staff provided emergency assistance to the victim. It is not known how long it took from the moment of Arroyo’s seizure to the moment he was discovered by the deputies.

The family of the deceased plans to sue the police officers who carried out the illegal detention, and the administration of the Sheriff’s Department, which for a long time concealed the cause of death.