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Sheriff: Man held in Lawrence County jail dies after possible seizure

Indiana State Police said the deputy was "shot and critically injured."
Indiana State Police said the deputy was "shot and critically injured."

A man being held at the Lawrence County jail died over the weekend.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday that Damien Pinnick, 38, “died of an apparent medical event” a day earlier.

Read more: Lawrence County jailer accused of assisting wanted person

The sheriff’s office said an autopsy was conducted Saturday.

“At this time, it appears that Pinnick suffered from a possible seizure, which led to his death,” a post on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page said.

The sheriff said Pinnick was being held in a cell by himself at the Lawrence County Security Center in Bedford. Officers attempted life-saving measures including CPR and using an AED after finding Pinnick unresponsive, the office said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and as a way to be completely transparent, Sheriff Greg Day requested Indiana State Police detectives conduct a thorough investigation into the death,” according to the Facebook post.

A state police spokesperson didn’t immediately return messages Sunday.

George Hale is a Multi-Media Journalist at Indiana Public Media. He previously worked as an Investigative Reporter for NPR’s northeast Texas member station KETR. Hale has reported from the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Jordan and Egypt.