SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Two Illinois emergency medical workers from LifeStar Ambulance Service, Inc. were charged Monday with first-degree murder in the Dec. 18 death of a Springfield, Illinois man.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright filed the charges against Peggy Jill Finley, 44, and Peter J. Cadigan, 50. The acts of Finley and Cadigan resulted in the death of Earl L. Moore Jr., 35-year-old, Wright said at a news conference Tuesday. Morning.
Footage captured by police body cameras showed Finley and Cadigan strapping Moore face down on a stretcher.
Moore was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m. after being transported to a local hospital.
He died of “compression and positional asphyxia due to prone restraint on a paramedic transport stretcher with straps tightened across his back,” Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said. on Tuesday.
Finley and Cadigan knew, according to criminal complaints read by Wright, “based on their training, experience, and the surrounding circumstances, that such acts would create a substantial likelihood of serious bodily harm or death.”
how it developed
An original dispatch call for a residence was received at 2:02 am, Springfield Police Chief Ken. Scarlette said. That call indicated that there were multiple subjects at the residence with weapons.
Upon arrival, Scarlette said, three SPD officers spoke with a resident who said Moore was suffering from hallucinations due to a medical condition. The woman was related to Moore.
The officers were invited to the residence and, minutes after meeting Moore, they radioed for an ambulance, Scarlette said.
Officers met Finley at the door and relayed information about Moore’s condition, Scarlette said.
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Finley treated Moore “poorly and failed to give her the care, compassion and respect that she deserved,” Scarlette added. No medical treatment was provided to Moore at the residence, she said.
Scarlette said EMTs told Moore that if she wanted to go to the hospital, she would have to walk to the gurney, which was outside the house.
It was the officers, Scarlette said, who took turns pulling Moore out and placing him in “a recovery position, essentially laying him on his side on the gurney.”
That, he said, transferred attention to EMTs.
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Scarlette said the three officers waited until Moore was loaded into the ambulance before clearing the scene.
“They literally threw (Moore’s) hands behind him and tied him up. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to and he was face down,” said Teresa Haley, president of the NAACP’s Springfield branch and its state director. “They showed no compassion for this individual. He should be alive today.”
Scarlette also praised the officers for the way they handled her part of the call.
“They recognized that this individual was suffering from some type of unknown medical condition and their mindset immediately shifted to compassion, empathy and patience,” Scarlette said.
‘That was my brother’:Moore’s relatives tell their story
‘with a broken heart’
A statement from Black Lives Matter SPI said it was “heartbroken to learn of the senseless murder” of Moore and supported legal action taken against Finley and Cadigan to hold them accountable.
The statement added that “Unfortunately, this incident shines a light on how dangerous it can be for the Black community to seek treatment and receive medical care.”
Haley said upon seeing the body camera footage. it reminded him of the murder of George Floyd.
“I think (EMTs) were treating (Moore) harder because he was black,” Haley said after the news conference. “It was hostile to watch the video and how he was treated.”
Roger D. Campbell, president of LifeStar, said the company had no comment due to the ongoing investigation.
charges
Finley and Cadigan are being held at the Sangamon County Jail on $1 million bond. Both face ages 20 to 60 behind bars if convicted.
Illinois State Police continue to investigate the case.
Follow Steven Spearie on Twitter: @StevenSpearie.