COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – A Broward County grand jury reviewing the death case of Calvon "Andre" Reid determined there was not sufficient evidence to charge the three Coconut Creek police officers involved.
The 39-year-old father of two died in 2015 after police officers deployed their Tasers. Coconut Creek Lt. Henry Cabrera said the department determined the officers' use of force was justified.
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"I am pleased with the Grand Jury’s conclusion," Chief Albert Arenal said in a statement. "However, any loss of life is a tragedy. The City of Coconut Creek sends its condolences to the Reid family for their loss."
West Palm Beach attorney Jack Scarola has a pending civil-rights case against the department on behalf of Reid's family, who will now be able to file a civil claim.
"There is no doubt in my mind from the available evidence that Calvon Reid's civil rights were violated," Scarola told The Sun-Sentinel. "He was the victim of an excessive use of force."
The grand jury revisited the morning of Feb. 22, 2015, when a Wynmoor Village resident said Reid asked for a ride to the hospital. Paramedics arrived. Police officers said Reid was uncooperative. Witnesses disagreed.
Marc Lamort, Wendy Ritter, John Arendale and Bonnie Eshleman were among the witnesses who said they heard Reid shouting.
"They are going to kill me. I can't breathe."
Officers Daniel Rush, Thomas Eisenring and David Freeman deployed "the electroshock weapons in an attempt to control his aggressive behavior," Ron Ishoy, a spokesman for the Broward State Attorney's Office, said in a statement.
The Broward County Medical Examiner's Office reported he died of "complications of an electro-muscular disruption device."
It was the position of the Broward State Attorney's Office that Reid's use of Flakka, cocaine marijuana and alcohol -- coupled with a pre-existing condition of an enlarged heart -- contributed to his death. But his family and witnesses believe the police officers were responsible.
Lamort said he heard the screaming and heard somebody being beaten. He left his apartment and said he saw an officer hit Reid, while he was facing down on the ground with hands shackled behind his back.
"I believe a man died here unnecessarily," Arendale said. Eshleman and Lamort agreed. They said they didn't consider Reid a threat to them or the officers.
Scarola said the department's secrecy got in the way of the family's investigation.
Reid's family believes the officers should have known that by deploying the electric shock on Reid's chest and by using their Tasers repeatedly they were going to kill him.
After Reid died, his relatives learned the officers' stun guns certification was expired.
Chief Michael Mann retired a month after Reid's death.
Earlier this year, Coconut Creek police officer Daniel Rashad Rush, 26, was charged with battery and false imprisonment of an adult, after he was accused of molesting two boys ages 12 and 13.
Police haven't confirmed if Daniel Rashad Rush was also involved in Reid's death.
The grand jury's report hasn't been released.
Local 10 News Investigative Reporter Bob Norman contributed to this story.