WASHINGTON — Fairfax County leaders say they are closely monitoring developments as the police department conducts an internal investigation into the case of a disabled man who died while in police custody.
The investigation surrounds the death of Paul Gianelos, 45, who had a medical emergency after he was taken to the ground, handcuffed and restrained by four officers Wednesday.
“We don’t know what happened to make things go wrong, but that will be dealt with and that will be investigated,” said Fairfax County Board Chairman Sharon Bulova. “The board will be briefed,” she added.
Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler said Gianelos, a resident of a local group home, had wandered away from the people he was with while on an outing at Round Tree Park in Falls Church.
Gianelos had cognitive disabilities and became violent for an unknown reason when he was first confronted by police, Roessler said.
“It was very tragic and certainly we want to know the full story,” said Fairfax County Supervisor John Cook, chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
“We’re going to be very interested in seeing the results of the investigation. If for some reason we’re not satisfied with what comes to us, then we’ll go from there.”
Investigators say Gianelos suffered what appeared to be a heart attack, but a medical examiner’s report will determine what caused his death.
