In charge of determining Stewart’s cause of death was the city’s medical examiner, Dr. E

In charge of determining Stewart’s cause of death was the city’s medical examiner, Dr. Elliot M. Gross. Gross had three separate findings. He first declared Stewart had died due to excessive drinking, alcohol poisoning, which led to the coma and subsequent heart attack; thus, the police were not at fault. Stewart’s family and advocates were unconvinced and believed this was a “classic cover-up.” In a second autopsy conducted a month later, Gross declared that Stewart had died from a spinal cord injury in the upper neck. In his third assessment he said that Stewart died from blunt-force trauma. According to The New York Times, “Gross declined to specify what caused the injury, explaining only that ‘there are a number of possibilities as to how an injury of these type can occur.’ He refused to talk to press unless testifying before the grand jury.” Gross said Stewart’s injuries, including the facial bruising and the abrasions on his wrists sustained during his arrest, were not said to contribute to his death. Nurses said his hands and face were blue when he arrived at the hospital, and that it took 3 minutes to remove the cuffs. They also said that he had been beaten brutally.Stewart’s family doctors contradict what was in the final autopsy report done by Gross. Doctors hired by Stewart’s family to perform a secondary autopsy found his cause of death to be strangulation. Dr. Gross said there were no evidence of strangulation. Critical information such as Stewart’s eyes were removed and held by Gross and were not allowed to be studied by the doctors hired by Stewart’s family. His eyes were crucial because they would have shown evidence of hemorrhaging due to lack of oxygen from being strangled. Gross’ incompetence led the Stewart family to call for a petition to remove him as chief medical examiner claiming alleged wrongdoing and the medical examiners office cannot be trusted with the safekeeping of items. Following the trial, all six policemen were acquitted of criminal charges. Dr. Gross was later fired and Stewart’s parents were compensated $1.7 million for their child’s death. Stewart’s death would be remembered as an egregious tragedy of police abuse. -- source link
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