Illinois State Police release 3 videos from in-custody death of Rockford man
Illinois State Police have released three videos from the in-custody death of Lamar Bell, a Rockford man who died last month.
State police released body camera footage, dashcam footage as well as in-squad camera footage.
The videos show officers pulling over Bell's vehicle July 16 near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Kishwaukee Street. Officers approach Bell as he is sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle before asking him to get out of the vehicle.
Body camera footage shows Illinois State Police officers searching Bell's vehicle and finding bags of cocaine inside of toilet paper rolls.
More: Illinois State Police: Rockford man who died during traffic stop consumed narcotics
While handcuffed and sitting inside of a squad car, officers read Bell his Miranda rights and ask him about bags Bell was sitting on inside of his car.
"What baggies?" Bell asks before acknowledging the baggies found inside the vehicle.
"What substance was inside the baggies?" an officer asks Bell.
Bell responds "cocaine."
Both the in-squad camera and the body camera footage later show Bell appearing to have a medical episode. Bell then starts calling for an ambulance before saying "just playing."
As officers continue talking to Bell, he said he swallowed cocaine, but later said he did not swallow it, but snorted it.
A few moments later, Bell starts calling for an ambulance again, but he then says, "psych" when officers ask why he wants an ambulance.
According to the video, officers start getting Bell out of the vehicle and an ambulance is called about two minutes later.
Videos show Bell, while still handcuffed, being checkout by first responders before being put into an ambulance and taken to UW Health's SwedishAmerican Hospital where he later died.
The Winnebago County Coroner's Office said Bell's autopsy "did not show any traumatic injury" to Bell. Illinois State Police said the coroner's autopsy report "supports the consumption of narcotics by Bell."
Bell's death remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation (DII).
To view the videos, head to the Illinois State Police's YouTube page. Viewer discretion is advised for the videos.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Body camera footage released for in-custody death of Rockford man
