‘I just want the truth,’ says half-sister of man who died in custody

A man who died July 11 in Las Vegas police custody had a heart condition and was complaining of chest pains just hours before he was pronounced dead, his half-sister said.

Shawnnita Straughter talked with her half-brother, Rashad Straughter, on a Facebook video chat at around 6:45 that morning, she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday. He had been diagnosed with a heart condition in March, she said.

Just after 8 a.m. on July 11, police responded to a gas station at 905 Las Vegas Blvd. North, near Washington Avenue, after a 911 caller reported a vehicle collision. The driver, later identified as Rashad Straughter, 35, was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI, police said.

Straughter then was taken to the Las Vegas Detention Center for booking. But when officers arrived at the jail, the man was “unresponsive” and “medical personnel were summoned,” police said in a news release.

The Clark County coroner’s office has not ruled on his cause and manner of death.

Over a week later, it remains unclear whether Straughter requested medical treatment upon his arrest or while he was being taken to jail. It also is unclear when exactly he became unresponsive. He was taken to Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Shawnnita Straughter said on Monday that she had spoken with Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Michele Iacullo, who told her that she had viewed body camera footage of the incident. The sergeant told her that the video captured Rashad Straughter complaining of chest pain and asking for medical attention, his half-sister said.

The Review-Journal’s request for the footage was denied, citing an “internal” active investigation.

Speaking from her home in Los Angeles, Shawnnita Straughter said in a phone interview that her half-brother had moved to Las Vegas about a month earlier, hoping to start a new life with his two youngest sons and their mother. He had seven children, she said.

“My brother was just a loving person,” she said. “He loved his children, and he loved his family.”

She has hired a lawyer, Andrew Ryan, and she said her goal is simple.

“I just want the truth,” she said. “I just want the truth to come out. And I just want them to be honest. If they made a mistake, fine, say you made a mistake. But don’t cover it up. Don’t say that you did things that you didn’t do.”

Police did not answer specific questions on Monday, instead referring inquiries to the public records request portal. Those requests were not immediately filled.

Ryan said he is in the process of trying to gather information. A private investigator working with Ryan attempted to get security footage from the gas station but was unsuccessful, the lawyer said. That footage may have been destroyed after a week.

“We’re trying to determine exactly what happened before we decide to do anything legally,” he said. “It’s important right now just to get the facts and get the evidence preserved and find the truth.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.