UTEP Player’s Death Due to Heart Defects, Not to Cocaine Usage
Texas El Paso basketball player Hernell (Jeep) Jackson’s death stemmed from birth defects in his heart and had nothing to do with cocaine, a medical examiner in El Paso said.
Jackson, 23, an All-City player at Gardena High School, died May 2 after collapsing at a benefit basketball game. A preliminary autopsy showed he had used cocaine hours before, and that the drug could have been a contributing factor in his death.
But on Friday, Manny Diaz, chief investigator for the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s office, said further investigation showed Jackson was born with small scars on his heart and an enlarged artery.
It was those defects that slowed the blood flow to his heart on May 2 and caused it to stop beating, Diaz said.
“All I can say is cocaine was not a contributing factor to his death,” Diaz said.
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