Unarmed Afro-American man dies after being pepper-sprayed

An unarmed African American man has died while he was in police custody after being pepper-sprayed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, officers said.

The man, identified as Anthony Ware, died on Friday night after officers used oleoresin capsicum spray to subdue him, said police department spokesman Sgt. Brent Blankley.

35-year-old Ware, who was wanted for an active “attempting to elude warrant,” was sitting on a porch at Crescent East Apartments on Friday. Six officers arrived at the scene after they had received a call.

When police arrived at the scene, the man fled into the woods, but officers caught up with him. After he resisted arrest, they used pepper-spray and handcuffed him.

“The suspect continued to fight with officers but officers were able to place him into handcuffs,” Tuscaloosa police said in a statement. “While walking out of the woods the suspect collapsed. Officers evaluated his condition and began CPR and called for medical personnel to respond on an emergency status.”

Police took the suspect to DCH Regional Medical Center, while efforts were being made to resuscitate him, Blankley said. However, he was pronounced dead in hospital.

An investigation is underway by Tuscaloosa County Homicide unit, but no detail has been provided yet.

The incident happened as US police are under harsh criticism for using excessive force against specially African Americans.

So far, several white officers have fatally shot unarmed black men as a result of which there have been numerous protests in cities across the US.

Protesters have held demonstrations over police brutality and juries’ failures to bring officers involved in the fatal shootings of black people to justice.