A family is grieving and searching for answers after 29-year-old Mark Smith died days after being taken into custody by St. Louis City police near downtown.
According to authorities, officers responded around 2:06 p.m. Thursday to the 400 block of South 15th Street near the Enterprise Center and the bus station for a disturbance. Police say Smith was already being detained by security when they arrived. Officers described him as combative, acting erratically, and in what they called a delusional state.
Police state that EMS was requested, but due to a delay in response, officers transported Smith to a local hospital in a squad van. During that transport, officers claim Smith was ramming his head into the metal screen inside the vehicle. When he arrived at the hospital, he was unconscious and listed in critical condition.
Smith later died Saturday. His family, however, is questioning the official account. Loved ones say the visible bruising on his body does not sit right with them and they believe there is more to the story. They are now calling for transparency and a full investigation into what happened during that transport.
There are unanswered questions surrounding what happened from the moment he was detained to the moment he arrived at the hospital. They are calling for full transparency, including the release of body camera footage and any in-vehicle camera footage from the squad van.
A family is left mourning, demanding clarity, and asking how a man who was alive during a disturbance call ended up losing his life days later.
On behalf of The New Real STL News, we send our prayers to the family and friends of Mark Smith. We will continue to follow this investigation closely as more information becomes available.
