Anton Black: Maryland: Discredited former medical examiner David Fowler: From our 'Something is terribly wrong in this picture' department: In 2018, the state medical examiner ruled that Anton Black’s death at the hands of police in Greensboro was an accident. The Longview News Journal: Reporter Wendy Weitzel…"The recommendation, one of dozens, comes after a four-year review of cases from between 2003 and 2019, during which time former Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler was in office. The audit ultimately evaluated 87 cases, reclassifying the cause of death from accidental, unknown or natural to homicide in 36 of them. “The audit also validated concerns that bias may have affected death investigations in Maryland,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a letter to Marylanders included with the report. “Addressing those concerns benefits everyone in our system of justice — including the vast majority of law enforcement professionals who perform their duties with integrity and deserve clear, consistent standards.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "For those who have advocated for change in the way in-custody deaths are handled by the state since Black’s death, the report released Thursday marked a potential turning point. “This 70-page independent report vindicates what family members and communities — mostly Black and Brown Marylanders — have been saying for decades: the truth. That the entire system has been complicit in making police-involved deaths seem inevitable,” said ACLU of Maryland senior staff attorney Sonia Kumar, who led the team that litigated the 2023 settlement, in a statement Friday."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The audit, led by Towson University psychology professor Jeff Kukucka, began in 2021 after Fowler’s testimony in the trial of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin sparked outcry. Chauvin, who was convicted of murder for the 2020 death of George Floyd, knelt on Floyd’s neck for up to nine minutes during an arrest. During his testimony, Fowler, who was called as an expert witness, said Floyd’s death could be attributed to causes other than police restraint, including “excited delirium,” a term used to describe agitation and aggression related to mental health or substance abuse that has been disavowed by leading medical authorities. Over 450 medical experts co-signed a letter to former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and others condemning Fowler’s testimony."

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STORY: "Anton Black's cause of death should be ruled homicide, audit finds" by Reporter Wendy Weitzel. published by The Longview News Journal, on May 16, 2025. 

GIST: "In 2018, the state medical examiner ruled that Anton Black’s death at the hands of police in Greensboro was an accident. An audit report released by the state attorney general’s office Thursday says the cause of death should have been ruled a homicide.

The recommendation, one of dozens, comes after a four-year review of cases from between 2003 and 2019, during which time former Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler was in office. The audit ultimately evaluated 87 cases, reclassifying the cause of death from accidental, unknown or natural to homicide in 36 of them.

“The audit also validated concerns that bias may have affected death investigations in Maryland,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a letter to Marylanders included with the report. “Addressing those concerns benefits everyone in our system of justice — including the vast majority of law enforcement professionals who perform their duties with integrity and deserve clear, consistent standards.”

The audit, led by Towson University psychology professor Jeff Kukucka, began in 2021 after Fowler’s testimony in the trial of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin sparked outcry. Chauvin, who was convicted of murder for the 2020 death of George Floyd, knelt on Floyd’s neck for up to nine minutes during an arrest.

During his testimony, Fowler, who was called as an expert witness, said Floyd’s death could be attributed to causes other than police restraint, including “excited delirium,” a term used to describe agitation and aggression related to mental health or substance abuse that has been disavowed by leading medical authorities. Over 450 medical experts co-signed a letter to former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and others condemning Fowler’s testimony.

“This audit marks the beginning of a long conversation — one that must be handled with honesty, delicacy, resolve, and deep consideration,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a letter included in the Thursday report. Moore went on to highlight reforms in the medical examiner’s office that have been underway for several years.

The 2023 settlement of a case brought by the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black and Black’s family demanded changes including a policy addressing how medical examiners handle deaths in custody, including those involving law enforcement restraint, according to the ACLU of Maryland.

The policy incorporates and models guidelines from the National Association of Medical Examiners for determining how such deaths are investigated and how examiners determine causation.

On Sept. 15, 2018, Black, 19, and a 12-year-old family friend were walking around Greensboro when Black began pulling and dragging the child, who called out for help, garnering attention from onlookers that led to a 911 call.

A chase that ensued ended outside Black’s home, where Greensboro Police Officer Thomas Webster IV, off-duty Ridgely Police Chief Gary Manos, Centreville Police Officer Dennis Lannon and a civilian pinned Black against a wooden handicap ramp for six minutes while handcuffing and shackling him.

Black, who had severe bipolar depression, stopped breathing and became unresponsive after being handcuffed and shackled. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center in Easton, where he was pronounced dead that evening.

Fowler ruled Black’s cause of death was a sudden cardiac event. A later examination by a Johns Hopkins University cardiologist determined asphyxiation was the cause. No one was charged in the incident.

For those who have advocated for change in the way in-custody deaths are handled by the state since Black’s death, the report released Thursday marked a potential turning point.

“This 70-page independent report vindicates what family members and communities — mostly Black and Brown Marylanders — have been saying for decades: the truth. That the entire system has been complicit in making police-involved deaths seem inevitable,” said ACLU of Maryland senior staff attorney Sonia Kumar, who led the team that litigated the 2023 settlement, in a statement Friday.

An executive order issued by Moore Thursday called for the attorney general and the state’s attorney’s office to examine whether any cases should be reopened for investigation as a result of the report’s findings. The executive order also established a task force to examine the handling of in-custody deaths."

The entire story can be read at: 

article_c1c252fe-bd99-56c2-8013-7426815af670.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

SEE BREAKDOWN OF  SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG,  AT THE LINK BELOW:  HL:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985

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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;