Kingsley Fifi Bimpong was a 50-year-old postal worker, father, and Minnesota resident who needed medical help. Instead, his family says he was treated like a suspect, and it cost him his life. The family has now filed a lawsuit.

According to reporting from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Bimpong left work on November 16, 2024, after complaining of a headache. While driving home, Eagan police stopped him for a traffic issue. Body camera footage reportedly showed he was visibly disoriented and unable to answer basic questions like his name or where he was going, which are classic signs of a stroke. Instead of treating it as a medical crisis, officers called in a Drug Recognition Expert who, according to the lawsuit, didn’t even finish the evaluation, saying it “would just be a whole bunch of time wasted.”

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol. Still, officers took Bimpong to the police station for a blood draw. His condition worsened. He drooled, nodded off, and showed weakness on one side of his body. Paramedics at the station questioned whether he needed a hospital, but officers reportedly declined.

He was then transported to the Dakota County Jail. By that time, according to the lawsuit, he could barely walk. One officer was even caught on body camera saying, “Is this dude having a stro—” before muting the audio.

At the jail, surveillance video showed Bimpong dragging his foot, collapsing, and rolling on the floor in pain. He lost control of his bladder multiple times and was seen lying in his own urine. Officers performed “well-being checks” but did not call for medical help. According to CBS News, after more than three hours, a nurse finally entered the cell and found him “cold to the touch and unresponsive.” Staff administered Narcan three times, even though he showed no signs of drug use.

By the time EMS was finally called, it was too late. A CT scan revealed a massive hemorrhagic stroke. He was declared brain-dead on November 18 and removed from life support on November 19, 2024.

A federal civil rights lawsuit, filed by attorneys at Robins Kaplan LLP, accuses Eagan police, Dakota County, and multiple officers of “deliberate indifference” to an obvious medical emergency. The family is seeking $120 million in damages and policy changes. See the clip below, which is graphic.

Clay Cane is a New York Times bestselling writer and the author of the upcoming Burn Down Master’s House: A Novel, which will be released Jan. 27. Pre-order here.