Police Cleared After Shoplifter Dies During Struggle

Conway police officers have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing after a man suspected of shoplifting died following a struggle with the officers.

Lionel Morris, 39, died shortly after being arrested at a Harps grocery store in Conway on Feb. 4. Body camera footage released Wednesday shows officers chasing Morris through the store and struggling to detain him.

A letter from Prosecuting Attorney Carol Crews says Morris was "actively refusing arrest" and "being combative" with officers. Officers threatened to tase him after he began reaching for a knife in his pocket, the letter says.

Eventually, officers used a Taser to subdue Morris. In the footage, he can be heard yelling “help me please” and “my heart."

The footage was edited and combined with other videos as part of what police call a critical incident briefing.

Officers called for medical help after wrestling Morris to the ground. One officer can be seen placing his foot on Morris' back while Morris is double handcuffed and lying face down on the floor.


Morris can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times. MEMS reportedly found him unresponsive and pulseless at the scene, but he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

One of the officers at the scene was treated for a cut on his hand and injuries to his knee, elbow and face, according to prosecutors.

The medical examiner found the cause of death to be methamphetamine intoxication with exertion, struggle, restraint and conducted electrical weapon deployment. He tested positive for methamphetamine, a compound found in marijuana, opiates, morphine and amphetamines, according to the toxicology report.

“The level of drugs Mr. Morris had in his system and the strain he exerted while struggling with police ultimately led to his death,” Conway Police Chief William Tapley says in the video.

KATV requested files related to the case two weeks ago but the Arkansas State Police said the investigation was ongoing. The next day, Crews reviewed the case and found no criminal wrongdoing by the officers.

Tapley said there will be an internal investigation to determine if there were any policy or rule violations. Crews said in the letter that the officer's use of force was justified and reasonable given the circumstances. If Morris had submitted to arrest, his death could have been avoided, she said.

“In reviewing this incident, I recognize that there are things as a police department that we can do better,” he said. “And these are things that we will do better.”

Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said on Wednesday afternoon in a video that he observed some things that were "concerning" while reviewing bodycam footage of the incident. He has subsequently called for some of the officers who made the arrest to be put on paid leave during the internal investigation.