Man killed by police officer in Duke ER was shot 3 times, autopsy shows

A man killed by a police officer in the Duke University Hospital emergency room in January was shot three times, with one bullet entering his abdomen and damaging his heart, according to autopsy results.

Raishawn Jones, 38, was in policy custody when an altercation occurred in the ER and a Duke police officer shot him in the mid-back, mid to lower back and upper abdomen, the latter injuring the heart and other organs. The autopsy could not determine the order of the shots.

The autopsy results from the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner were first reported by The Chronicle, the Duke student newspaper.

Jones had nicotine and at least 0.57 milligrams of Phencyclidine commonly known as PCP or angel dust, in his body at the time of his death, a toxicology report shows. The illegal drug can cause hallucinations, distort the senses and cause violent behavior.

Jones was arrested by Durham police that night and was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation, police said previously. Police did not initially release details about the arrest or release his identity, citing Duke’s HIPAA patient privacy rules.

While Jones was being evaluated, he asked to use the bathroom and had his handcuffs removed, the autopsy report states. He attacked the officer and grabbed his gun, according to hospital officials, who said he fired multiple shots in the emergency room, a summary report from the Chief Medical Examiner states.

A Duke police officer who arrived to help fatally shot Jones, The N&O reported previously.

Jones had been arrested while trying to get away from police after crashing into a car in Durham earlier that day and then crashing into the wall of a restaurant, reported ABC11, The N&O’s media partner.

Jones’ family told ABC11 they believe he was “on something” when he crashed into a car off of N.C. 55 at a Walgreens.

The report from the Chief Medical Examiner requested by The N&O indicates that Jones was acting “strangely and irrationally” when police arrested him.

Both the Durham and Duke officers were wearing body cameras during the shooting, but Durham police do not plan to seek release of the footage, Lt. Randall Packard previously told The N&O.

The case is being reviewed by the State Bureau of Investigation.