Darrell W. Brooks, 56, died March 11. In a news release, Mr Zahnd said Brooks threatened to kill a man.
“Then, while he was very intoxicated, Mr. Brooks started an altercation with that man,” Zahnd said. “While the man was restraining Mr. Brooks and waiting for law enforcement to arrive, Mr. Brooks died from a heart attack.”
Deputies from the Platte County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to 18360 Interurban Road. When the first deputy arrived, Brooks was on the ground, restrained by another man who had his arm around Brooks’ neck.
The deputy ordered the man to let Brooks go, which the man immediately did. Brooks died at the scene.
Brooks’ autopsy revealed that he died of a heart attack and that he had a serious underlying heart condition that had never been diagnosed. The autopsy also revealed no injury to Brooks’ neck and no evidence of strangulation. Other wounds found on Brooks’ body were superficial and would not have been life-threatening.
Brooks’ blood alcohol content was .268, more than three times the legal limit for driving.
The medical examiner opined that, given his underlying cardiovascular disease, Brooks could have died from a heart attack regardless of any altercation that day.
Deputies had gone to the scene earlier in the day, after receiving information that Brooks was drunk and had threatened to kill a man who lived on his property. They left after being assured that everyone was okay. Later investigation revealed that Brooks had left a voice mail for his wife, threatening, “I may kill him, I may kill that (expletive) prick. Tonight may be his last night to be alive. I may kill him.”
The man who Brooks threatened cooperated with investigators. He told them that he was aware of the Brooks’ threat against his life, that Brooks had assaulted him, and that he held Brooks down to restrain him until law enforcement officers arrived. He also said that Brooks had threatened him with a knife on a prior occasion.
Zahnd says Brooks had a long history of assaultive behavior, having been convicted of domestic assault in 2011. Brooks had also allegedly pointed a gun at someone, later saying he wished he had pulled the trigger. In another incident, Brooks allegedly stabbed a knife into a cabinet during an argument.
Zahnd said, “An excellent investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department uncovered the truth in this incident. While a man died on May 11, his death was not a crime. He threatened to kill another man and then got into a confrontation with him. Under Missouri law, a person can use reasonable force to protect himself while waiting for police to arrive, and that’s exactly what happened in this case.”