The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation and a parallel administrative investigation after a man died subsequent to being taken into custody during a violent confrontation that also left a deputy injured late Sunday night in Golden Gate.
Linel Lormeus, 26, 4130 16th Place S.W., Unit #307, Golden Gate was pronounced dead around 11:44 p.m. Sunday at Physicians Regional Hospital-Pine Ridge, 6101 Pine Ridge Road, Golden Gate.
CCSO reports gave this account:
Around 10:25 p.m. deputies responded to a report of an armed disturbance at an apartment complex at 4130 16th Place Southwest.
Lormeus’ mother Marti Gilbeau, 56, told deputies that her son physically threatened her and became disruptive while they were inside their apartment. He grabbed a dumbbell weight, which he used to knock holes in the wall and ceiling of their apartment.
Gilbeau told deputies that her son had been treated for mental illness in Haiti. She said he had been prescribed medication in that country but had not taken it for more than a year. She said he had been acting more irrational than usual lately.
When deputies arrived at the complex, Lormeus spotted them and ran. Deputies chased Lormeus, who entered the ground-floor apartment of another tenant whose door was unlocked.
As deputies attempted to take control of the situation Lormeus became physically combative. He refused deputies’ commands to get on the ground. At this time deputies, deployed their tasers. Lormeus continued to fight the deputies after being tased and was ultimately subdued.
While deputies were in the process of handcuffing Lormeus, he suffered from an unknown medical emergency. A deputy immediately began administering CPR, while another deputy rushed to his patrol vehicle to retrieve an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Paramedics were called to respond to the scene.
Lormeus was transported to Physicians Regional-Pine Ridge, where he was pronounced deceased by emergency room physicians.
A deputy was also injured during the incident. Cpl. Alfred Rodriguez suffered a knee injury as he and other deputies tried to take Lormeus into custody. Cpl. Rodriguez has been placed on light duty following the recommendation of a medical doctor.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office, and the District 20 Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Lormeus.
FDLE will be conducting an independent review of this incident and the findings will be presented to the State Attorney’s Office for review.
The State Attorney’s Office will review the findings of the death investigation and determine a final disposition.
CCSO’s Professional Responsibility Bureau will conduct a parallel administrative investigation to determine if policies, procedures and training were followed.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine a cause of death.
