Med. examiner explains 'natural' death

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A medical investigator has ruled the death of an East Grand Rapids man who was Tasered by police "natural."

Matthew Bolick died of acute exhaustive mania, which also is known as excited delirium syndrome, said Dr. David Start of the Kent County Medical Examiner's Office. Start said the death was brought on by a psychiatric disorder.

"It's an unusual case," he said. "You see this, but not all that frequently ... It's a relatively rare cause for a sudden death."

Start, who usually sees one or so fatal drug-induced delirium cases each year in Kent County, can only remember one other purely psychiatric case in his career. It was a patient in a Florida mental hospital.

There is no evidence whatsoever that police did anything that would have caused Bolick's death, Start said.

"This phenomenon occurred before Tasers were even in use," he added.

Bolick, 30, died Nov. 16 when East Grand Rapids Department of Public Safety officers Tasered him following a domestic disturbance incident at his home. Police said Bolick was "out of control" during an altercation with his dad and brother. Bolick's father called 911 after Bolick cut his hand breaking through a window.

Bolick confronted an officer in the street outside the home and hit him in the face, police say. That officer then discharged his Taser on Bolick, who was not affected by the stun gun and then ran into the house. Officers chased him inside and a struggle with Bolick ensued.

"Additional Taser deployments" were used on Bolick, according to police. He was unresponsive inside the home and tended to by rescue personnel. Bolick died sometime later on the scene.

Excited delirium occurs when a person has a psychotic episode, sometimes referred to as a "mental breakdown," for lack of a better term. That breakdown causes the person to become delusional, agitated, aggressive and hyperactive. His or her adrenaline shoots very high and there is a body temperature increase.

In Bolick's case, these symptoms led to cardiac arrest.

Start said toxicology reports showed no sign of any drugs within Bolick's system. That means the syndrome was brought on purely by the psychiatric disorder. It is more common to see excited delirium occur in people using cocaine or methamphetamines. But Start said there have been purely psychiatric cases, like Bolick's.

"I don't think anyone really knows what the trigger is for individuals that are under this (psychiatric) disorder," he said.

Bolick had no diagnosed mental conditions, Start said, although police say he did have some delusions in the weeks before his death. So what triggered the sudden psychiatric symptoms?

"It's really unknown why it happened when it did," Start said. "I don't really know."

As for the officers involved -- Gary Parker and Brian Davis -- the East Grand Rapids police chief said they'll remain on paid administrative leave until the Grand Rapids Police Department completes its investigation.