The cause of Paul Charles Guerrero’s death remains a mystery this week as state medical examiners continue their investigation after the physical autopsy failed to reveal an obvious cause.
Guerrero was in the custody of law enforcement officers when he died Sunday, Aug. 16 outside his home on Beth Page Road in Grady County.
New information, indicates that after thwarting attempts by the Grady County Sheriff’s Office and the Thomas County SWAT team, which had taken over the scene at the request of Grady County Sheriff’s deputies, to entice him to leave the house, Guerrero tried to leave the scene.
“He tried to leave and they encountered him at the front door and he began physically fighting them,” states Jamy Steinberg, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Thomasville office. Grady County Sheriff Harry Young has asked the G.B.I. to investigate Guerrero’s death.
“(Guerrero) was at the scene still. He had been arrested after physically fighting them, actively resisting arrest and was handcuffed on the ground when they noticed he was having trouble breathing,” Steinberg states. “They have trained medics on their team and E.M.S. was staged already at the scene. They began life saving attempts there on scene when they saw him having difficulty breathing.”
Steinberg says the medical authorities will look into Guerrero’s past medical history and toxicology report to try to determine his cause of death.
Once the G.B.I. investigation is complete, according to Steinberg, he will send the case to District Attorney Joe Mulholland who will determine whether it will be presented to a Grand Jury.
