Man chokes on ‘unknown object’, dies as police investigate KC shoplifting incident
As a man was being detained during a shoplifting investigation Thursday night, he tried to swallow an unknown object and later died, according to police.
Around 6:30 p.m., Kansas City police officers were working off-duty security at a Walmart in the 8500 block of North Boardwalk Avenue. The officers took a man into custody for an investigation into shoplifting.
The man was taken to a security office by the officers. While he was seated, police said they saw the man attempt to swallow an unknown object.
Capt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesman with KCPD, said officers attempted to get the man to spit the object out, but the man refused.
“The (man) began to exhibit difficulty breathing and then lost consciousness,” Becchina said.
Officers immediately began to render aid to the man and called for paramedics. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The man was later identified by police as 45-year-old Christopher Christian.
Becchina said as of Friday afternoon police are still trying to figure out what the object was that Christian attempted to swallow.
The incident has been classified as a death investigation. No other information was provided.
