More videos have been released in the death of a man in the custody of Joliet police earlier this year.
The videos provide more details of what happened the night that Eric Lurry died after being taken into custody by Joliet police.
The police department is not commenting publicly on the situation, but released new footage Tuesday to provide a fuller picture of what happened the night that Lurry died.
Authorities say that they took Lurry into custody on Jan. 29 during an undercover drug operation. In the initial video, Lurry is seen chewing on something while sitting in the back of a police vehicle, and several minutes later, when officers attempt to pull him from the car, he is unresponsive.
Police say they called paramedics for help after trying to wake Lurry up, and that they attempted to perform CPR on him before those paramedics arrived.
Lurry would later die at an area hospital.
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The Will County Coroner’s Office ruled that Lurry died after swallowing a large quantity of drugs, and that the officers involved in the incident did not play a role in his death.
The conduct of two police officers shown in the video has prompted public outrage, however. The first video, which was obtained by NBC 5 and other media outlets earlier this month, shows one officer cursing at Lurry and slapping him, while another puts a collapsible baton into his mouth, trying to pull out something that he had swallowed.
Lurry’s family has been critical of Joliet police, saying that they allegedly edited the footage that’s been made public and that they have been slow to provide answers as to what happened to him on that fateful night.
A press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. outside of the Joliet Police Department, as family will continue to demand more information about the incident.
In the meantime, multiple investigations are underway, as Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk has requested Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office to look into the incident. The Illinois State Police are also assisting with a separate investigation.
