At least 16 people died in California after medics injected sedatives during police encounters [Video]

At least 16 people died in California over a decade following a physical encounter with police during which medical personnel also injected them with a powerful sedative, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.

Seven of those deaths happened in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Jose Lopez died in 2020, and Ivan Gutzalenko died in 2021, after an encounters with Richmond police; Jacob Bauer died in 2018 after an encounter with Pleasanton police; Jonathan Mitchell died in 2014, Darnell Benson died in 2015 and Carlos Margo died in 2017, after an encounters with San Francisco police; Marcellus Toney died n 2017 after an encounter with Oakland police.

Other places with cases included Los Angeles, San Diego and cities in Orange and San Bernardino counties.

While the use of the drug ketamine has drawn scrutiny in other states, AP’s investigation found that California paramedics almost always used midazolam, better known by its brand name Versed.

The deaths were among more than 1,000 that AP’s …