Bologna autopsy review says Fakir died of acute respiratory failure

A Bologna prosecutors’ review says Abderrahim Fakir died of acute respiratory failure after being restrained by police on July 19.

Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, was in Bologna, northern Italy, when officers held him face down with his hands cuffed behind his back.

The experts said acute cocaine intoxication and serious heart disease had weakened him, while agitation, high body temperature and his position also contributed to his death.

Body-camera recordings captured officers making dismissive remarks as Fakir lay on the ground and people asked whether he was breathing.

The review found shortcomings in the actions of volunteer Red Cross rescuers and later medical staff, but said even timely, correctly performed care would have given Fakir about a 15% chance of survival.

It said the face-down position was a contributing factor, though likely a lesser one, and that his injuries did not directly cause his death.

Fakir’s family lawyer says he will submit a separate expert report disputing aspects of the prosecutors’ experts’ conclusions; the investigation into responsibility is continuing.