Police-Linked Death Is Ruled a Homicide

The death of a suspected Chicago drug dealer killed during a struggle with police, which prompted protests against alleged police brutality, has been ruled a homicide, media reported Saturday.

Dr. Edmund Donoghue, the Cook County medical examiner, said 31-year-old Gregory Riley’s death on Monday was caused by “pressure to Riley’s neck and chest--presumably by the two officers’ arms and bodies while they tried to arrest him,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Chicago Tribune said the two unidentified officers involved have been assigned to desk duty.

The ruling prompted the Cook County state attorney’s office to launch an investigation, the Chicago Tribune reported. Chicago police Supt. Terry Hillard called Friday for an investigation into the death.

Riley’s death, plus the deaths of two unarmed motorists shot and killed by police during routine traffic stops earlier this month, sparked protests and accusations of racial discrimination by city police.

The deaths have placed the city in the center of a national debate over the use of deadly force by police and have attracted the attention of civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

At an unrelated news conference Saturday, Jackson urged U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno to visit the city and investigate the matter.

“Police are people; they too have rights, and that’s why due process must take place,” Jackson said. “But the dead cannot speak for themselves, and the fact is we will not rest until we find a thorough investigation and conclusion on this matter.”