ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — A suburban Minneapolis police department is asking state authorities to review the case of a man whose death was ruled an accidental drowning after activists suggested that the police killed him with their fists
The Robbinsdale Police Department said Friday it wants the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation to look into the death of 26-year-old Khalil A. Azad, whose body was found along the shoreline of Crystal Lake the last year, two days after he allegedly fled from Robbinsdale police. . published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.
The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled Azad accidentally drowned after his body was found in the lake on July 5.
Police in Robbinsdale, a suburb about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis, say two days before his body was found, Azad fled by car and on foot after officers tried to arrest him on suspicion of drunk driving. Police did not find him, according to a summary of the incident released by Police Chief Patrick Foley.
On Feb. 25, Minnesota’s Black Lives Matter released a statement saying Azad’s family believes he was bitten by police dogs and beaten by officers. The group circulated what it describes as autopsy photos showing Azad with bruises and dog bites on his face, body and arms.
The Office of the Medical Examiner has not officially released any photos of the case.