WOMAN WHOSE HUSBAND DIED AFTER ARREST ‘TOLD GARDAI HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF A HEART ATTACK’
A FATHER of three who died after being arrested and removed from an A&E department in 2019 spent just 17 minutes in Garda custody before being released, an inquest into his death has heard.
Mullingar man Danny McCormack was 40 years old when he arrived at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar on the evening of March 23, 2019, complaining of chest pains.
Shortly after his release from Garda custody, Mr McCormack suffered a heart attack and, soon after he was returned to the hospital by ambulance, he was pronounced dead.
Hazel McCormack, the wife of the deceased, said that her husband had been complaining of chest pains for a number of days and on that evening asked her to call someone to look after their two youngest children so they could go to the hospital.
Ms McCormack put her husband in a taxi and told him to go to the hospital, assuring him she would follow as soon as someone arrived to take care of the children.
His lips were blue, she said, and he was clutching his chest in pain. She rang ahead to inform the hospital he was coming by taxi and that he might be “agitated” because she wasn’t there yet.
Shortly afterwards, Ms McCormack made her way to the hospital on foot, accompanied by her sister Tara Rhatigan.
When they arrived, they observed Mr McCormack sitting on the ground outside, with two gardaí standing beside him.
Ms McCormack told the inquest she said to Gardaí her husband was “on the verge of a heart attack”, but said one of the officers told her he’d “already been checked out” and that she should “bring him home”.
She and Ms Rhatigan both gave evidence that, as they were walking away, they heard Gardaí mention boxing, suggesting Mr McCormack “wanted a box”, and “sneering”.
Issues
sneering or saying Mr McCormack was “looking for a box” as he was walking away.
Both said Mr McCormack turned around and said “would you fight a man who is having a heart attack?” before telling one of them “I’ll box you in the face”.
It was at that stage the gardaí effected arrest. However, they denied “bodyslamming” him to the ground and insisted “reasonable force was used”.
The shift manager, along with other staff members who were on duty in the A&E department that night, all gave evidence that Mr McCormack had been agitated.
A GSOC investigation was conducted and it was concluded that there was no wrongdoing by any member of An Garda Síochána.
Mr McCormack was held in Garda custody for just 17 minutes, the inquest heard. He was released and given a lift home.
By this stage, his wife had attended at the Garda Station but received a text from her daughter saying “Daddy is home”. While en route home, she received a phone call from her daughter, who told her “Daddy is bleeding”.
“Then I heard her screaming and saying ‘Daddy is dead’,” said Ms McCormack.
The inquest continues.