By Bruce Vielmetti
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE — A man rescued by police and firefighters as he overdosed on heroin Wednesday later stabbed himself to death in a hospital restroom, Milwaukee police said.
Lt. Mark Stanmeyer said the department has asked the state Division of Criminal Investigation to review the incident.
According to Stanmeyer:
Police and Fire Department staff responded about 11 a.m. to a report of a man overdosing on heroin in a parking lot in the 4400 block of W. Capitol Drive. Emergency medical workers stabilized the victim and took him to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
A police officer accompanied rescue personnel in the ambulance, which Stanmeyer said is standard protocol when someone whose mental well-being is in question is being transported.
Once admitted at the hospital, the victim was allowed to enter a restroom alone. But when the police officer and a nurse heard concerning noise from inside, they entered and found the victim suffering from a self-inflicted knife wound.
The officer and nurse tried to save him, but were unsuccessful.
Stanmeyer said the subject was not under arrest at the time, but that in “abundance of caution,” police have asked the state Department of Justice to review the matter, and have put the two police officers involved on administrative duty.
Police did immediately identify the victim or the city employees involved.
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©2015 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel