BOSTON (WHDH) - The family of a man who died in Boston police custody in 2019 is suing the department, saying officers did not provide him with medical care until it was too late.
Shayne Stilphen suffered an overdose after he was booked into the District 4 station near Massachusetts and Melnea Cass avenues, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Stilphens’ family by The ACLU of Massachusetts and the law firm Goodwin Procter LLC. The lawsuit alleges that videos show that Stilphen contorted into unnatural postures, struggled to stay awake and was unable to stand on his own during the booking process, but police did not seek medical assistance and put him in a cell by himself.
According to the ACLU, the surveillance footage from Stilphen’s cell shows him periodically taking drugs for the next two hours then slumping forward motionless. Stilphen remained motionless in this position for almost an hour while officers walked by seven times. The lawsuit claims that the officers had access to Narcan — which could have saved his life — but did not use it until it was too late.
The lawsuit claims that the police denied Stilphen his constitutional right to medical care and was discriminated against on the basis of his Opioid Used Disorder (OUD) in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the ACLU, less than two months before Shayne’s death another man died in District 4 under similar circumstances.
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