Probe after Va. man dies in police custody in N.C.
ENFIELD, N.C. - Authorities are investigating after a Virginia man died while in police custody in Halifax County, N.C.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) said Monday police in Enfield asked the NCSBI to investigate the death of 55-year-old Michael Tyrone Gallagher of Midlothian, Virginia.
The NCSBI says Enfield Lt. Jerry Powell responded to a reported breaking and entering late Saturday and confronted Gallagher. The officer and a witness in the area became involved in a physical confrontation with Gallagher and the officer used his stun gun on Gallagher, officials say, according to CBS affiliate WRAL.
Gallagher was then placed in handcuffs and authorities say he was unresponsive when emergency crews arrived, according to the station. Emergency medical workers took Gallagher to Halifax County Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids, where he died Sunday.
An autopsy will seek the cause of death. Powell has been placed on leave while the NCSBI investigates Gallagher's death.
NCSBI spokeswoman Teresa West referred a request for the initial incident report to Enfield police, who did not immediately respond to a message.