Autopsy: restraint killed student at Killeen school

July 17, 2008: We just became aware of this article and wanted to share his story. Staff withheld food as punishment from a child they knew to have been deprived food as a baby. When he attempted to leave the classroom in search of food, staff restrained him. Another child died at the hands of educators who should have known better...

Monday, March 25, 2002

KILLEEN, Texas (AP) - A 14-year-old boy who died after being restrained in a classroom by his teachers perished from an excessive amount of pressure to his chest, a preliminary autopsy shows.

Cedrick Napoleon, a special-education student at Manor Middle School, died March 7 about an hour after being restrained. School officials said he was causing problems in his behavior management class.

A female teacher and two aides remain on leave from the school, and police said the case is likely to be referred to a grand jury.

The autopsy revealed Friday that Napoleon died from "mechanical compression of the trunk," which forensics officials say is a form of suffocation.

Killeen police said the investigation is ongoing. The school district, which has been working with police, also is conducting an internal investigation.

Police said the teacher and a male aide attempted to restrain Cedrick, who was 4-foot-11 and weighed 129 pounds, in the classroom. Another aide was in the room with about a dozen students, police said.

The teen's foster parents, Wilbert and Toni Price, said classroom staff had restricted Cedrick's food as punishment for his misbehavior.

"But for him, that was a very bad punishment, because when he was a little baby, he was deprived of food," Wilbert Price said. "He liked food. It was like a security blanket for him. And they were aware of this."

Cedrick was trying to leave the classroom in search of food when he was restrained, Toni Price said.

She said Cedrick's classmates told her that he told the person holding him down, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I give."

Toni Price said Cedrick was a peaceful boy who loved football and basketball and someday wanted to open his own doughnut shop.

"Cedrick always had a big smile," she said, noting Cedrick had been in their care for 16 months.

"On that day, Cedrick wasn't doing anything violent. He wasn't fighting anyone. He wasn't hurting anyone.

"And for him to have had to lost his life like that is a crime, and somebody should pay for that."

Charles Patterson, Killeen Independent School District superintendent, said in a news release Friday that he would like "to convey that the heartfelt thoughts of personnel in the district continues for the family in the loss of Cedrick."