The Major Case Unit of the Volusia Sheriff’s Office is looking into the death of a man who reportedly swallowed drugs to evade arrest, reports WFLA.
The sheriff’s office reported that deputies were carrying out a drug search warrant at a house on Clara Avenue in DeLand around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. This followed an undercover investigation that revealed several drug sales from that location.
Deputies found 54-year-old Cornell McKinney among five people in the house. They were sitting outside while the investigation was ongoing. The sheriff’s office stated that McKinney didn’t respond to the detectives who were trying to get his information, leading them to suspect that he might be trying to hide or swallow drugs.
Detectives repeatedly asked McKinney to open his mouth and spit out what he was chewing, but he refused. When deputies called medics for help, he became unresponsive. Fire personnel performed life-saving measures and found three plastic baggies in his mouth, with two containing suspected heroin or fentanyl and crack cocaine. McKinney was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and his family was notified.
The sheriff’s Major Case Unit is investigating his death, and the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause after an autopsy. McKinney reportedly had a history of nine previous arrests in Volusia County for drug offenses and theft since 2012.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
