PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city of Coos Bay claims police officers allowed a man to overdose in the back of a cop car, ultimately leading to his death in July 2024.
In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that Nathan Bradford Smith, 33, was left in the car unattended for 40 minutes before dying in the hospital. His family estate is now seeking damages.
Officers Benjamin Martin, Tristan Smith, and Wesley O’Connor are accused of neglecting Smith while he was displaying signs of being in a medical crisis during his arrest for alleged disorderly conduct on July 7, 2024.
According to police reports, Smith had interacted with police three times that day.
The first two interactions involved Smith smoking meth and then speaking “quickly and incomprehensibly,