From The Tribune staff reports
TUSCALOOSA — A man died at DCH Northport Medical Center on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, after being brought in by Tuscaloosa Police.
According to multiple reports, the family of Kendrell Antron Watkins, 31, called police Friday at 11 p.m. and reported the man was “losing it” and causing damage to a home in the Cherrystone neighborhood where infants and children were present.
Police arrived but Wakins was already gone. His family told officers he had been using drugs.
An hour later, an officer responded to a report of a half-naked man in the parking lot of a shopping center off Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The responding officer asked him if he needed help but he refused assistance and walked off.
The officer who responded to the Cherrystone neighborhood arrived at the scene and determined the man was Watkins. As the officers called out for Watkins to stop, he took off running and began removing his clothing. The officers deployed a Taser to subdue Watkins. He was taken into custody and taken to the hospital. Watkins died an hour and a half later. He was pronounced dead at 2:57 a.m. Saturday. According to medical technicians, Watkins told them he had smoked synthetic marijuana earlier in the evening.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit is investigating the death using body camera video and other means. Those investigating officers are not part of the Tuscaloosa Police Department. An autopsy and toxicology screening will determine the cause of death.
Both officers involved are on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
According to the CDC, synthetic cannabinoids, also known as synthetic marijuana, Spice, or K2, are various manmade chemicals that some people use in place of marijuana. The chemicals can cause serious side effects that are very different from those of marijuana. Some of those side effects include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion and hallucinations. Some deaths have been reported as a result of the use of synthetic marijuana.