SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 28, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Prosecutors have found no criminal behavior by Murray police in the April 2022 in-custody death of a suspect.
“After conducting an Officer Involved Critical Incident (OICI) review, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has determined that the April 8, 2002 arrest of Sean Paul Masters by the Murray City Police Department and subsequent medical related death does not fall within the statutory definition of an Officer-involved Critical Incident,” reads a Friday press release by DA Sim Gill’s office. “Accordingly, the incident does not warrant criminal charges.”
Masters fled a late night traffic stop on foot, leading police on a chase that including running through an apartment complex, jumping a fence and traversing a creek, lasting over a minute, according to a letter with the press release on the DA’s legal findings. The chase, it said, ended in a parking lot when Masters stopped and surrendered to police, and apologized.
Masters died at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, pronounced dead at 12:12 a.m. April 9, according to the findings, some 45 minutes after he first complained to officers he couldn’t breath while laying on his chest hand-cuffed. Officers rolled him onto his side, and also placed him in a sitting position, according to the letter, summoning emergency medical personnel who arrived and rendered aid.
“We do not believe the facts in this case would support a finding that any of the officers used deadly force during the pursuit, detention and arrest of Mr. Masters,” according to the letter.
The Utah State Medical Examiner’s autopsy determined the cause of death to be cardiac arrhythmia from the exertion of running from law enforcement, according to the findings, complicated by Masters’ methamphetamine intoxication at the time. Meth was found in his car by police.
