Tyrone West

Tyrone West, 44, died after Baltimore police restrained him following a traffic stop on July 18, 2013; eyewitness accounts and later forensic analysis conflicted with official explanations.

What happened

Baltimore officers stopped a vehicle in which Tyrone West was riding. An encounter escalated into a physical struggle involving several officers; West was handcuffed, stopped breathing and died. Witnesses described officers striking and kicking him. The medical examiner initially attributed the death to a heart abnormality and dehydration during restraint but could not determine the manner of death. His family held regular demonstrations calling for transparency, challenged the police account and pursued additional forensic review. An independent forensic analysis reported in 2016 argued he died from asphyxia rather than a heart condition, directly contesting the initial medical findings.

Investigation & findings

Baltimore prosecutors declined charges in 2013 and again declined to reopen the case in 2016. A separate 2016 forensic assessment disputed the official cause-of-death explanation. Do not present either disputed medical conclusion as universally established.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records