By now, I’m sure most of you have seen that the Medical Examiner released Ali Ahmed Mohammed’s cause of death following him throwing a brick into the window of Dc9. Not surprisingly in this case, which has been full of confusion and misinformation, the cause of death does not shed much light on what really happened.
Mohammed’s death was classified a homicide. He died of “Excited Delirium Associated With Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Anomalies, Alcohol Intoxication and Physical Exertion With Restraint” according to the Medical Examiner. Not being a coroner, I can’t really tell you exactly what this means, but my Internet research can hopefully give some context.
Excited delirium is a condition that is normally caused by drug use that leads a person to act with “bizarre and/or aggressive behavior, shouting, paranoia, panic, violence toward others, unexpected physical strength, and hyperthermia.” It can lead to death.
Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Anomalies, as far as I can tell, means that Mohammed had heart complications related to an irregular heartbeat, which contributed to his death. The alcohol intoxication part is pretty self-evident, as is the physical restraint part.
So if his death was classified as a homicide, does that mean that the DC9 employees previously arrested will be charged with murder? Of course, the answer is unclear. The District Attorney’s office released a statement to the effect that they will not re-file charges at this time, but will continue their investigation.
Those with more legal expertise than me have indicated that the results of the toxicology report will matter greatly on any charges that are filed. There is a possibility of second degree murder or manslaughter, but it really remains unclear.
Lastly, will DC9 remain open? ABRA indicated that pending the results of the autopsy report, DC9 may be ordered to close again. I’m not sure if these results merit the bar re-closing, but ABRA did put that caveat in when they let DC9 open.
