{"id":97929,"date":"2025-10-10T16:32:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97929"},"modified":"2025-10-10T16:32:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:32:32","slug":"family-of-ghanaian-us-postal-worker-who-died-in-custody-demands-justice-after-stroke-was-mistaken-for-drug-impairment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97929","title":{"rendered":"Family of Ghanaian US Postal worker who died in custody demands justice after stroke was mistaken for drug impairment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>5 Minute, 11 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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A newly filed federal lawsuit alleges that a Minnesota postal worker died after police officers and jail staff ignored clear signs he was suffering from a massive stroke \u2013 mistaking his medical emergency for drug impairment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, accuses the City of Eagan and Dakota County of deliberate indifference in the death of 50-year-old Kingsley Fifi Bimpong, a U.S. Postal Service employee and lawful permanent U.S. resident originally from Ghana.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The lawsuit claims arresting officers failed to do a proper screening to determine whether Bimpong was having a stroke or experiencing a drug overdose \u2013 and it says jail guards allowed Bimpong to remain helpless on a jail cell floor in his own urine for hours without medical attention. <\/p>\n

The Night of the Arrest<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the night of November 16, 2024, Bimpong vanished from his shift at the Eagan Postal Distribution Center after complaining of a headache.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 10:44 PM, an Eagan police sergeant saw his car driving the wrong way on Pilot Knob Road \u2013 into oncoming traffic and striking a median curb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to police reports, after being pulled over, Bimpong appeared extremely confused. He couldn\u2019t say where he lived or worked, even though he was wearing a USPS vest, and repeatedly said, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Officers noted there was no smell of alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Family
Bimpong, in his USPS vest, told Eagan police he didn\u2019t know where he worked or lived<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eagan Officer Martin Jensen, a specially trained Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE), was called to assess whether Bimpong was under the influence of drugs. DRE training, provided by the Minnesota State Patrol to officers, emphasizes distinguishing drug impairment from medical emergencies such as strokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the lawsuit alleges Jensen disregarded his training. \u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the lawsuit, body camera audio captured him saying a full DRE evaluation, which typically takes between 30-to-45-minutes, would be \u201ca whole bunch of time wasted.\u201d When another officer questioned whether Bimpong should be taken to the hospital, Jensen replied: \u201cFor what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Family
Eagan police officer Martin Jensen did not complete his Drug Recognition Evaluation on Bimpong, but arrested him on suspicion of DWI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead, Bimpong was arrested for suspected DWI. He had his blood drawn at Eagan police headquarters and was then transported to the Dakota County Jail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hours Suffering in a Jail Cell<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the jail, video shows Bimpong stumbling, unable to complete the booking process. He was placed in a holding cell, where he fell, urinated on himself repeatedly, and writhed on the floor. Guards conducting legally-mandated well-being checks repeatedly wrote \u201cinmate and cell OK\u201d in the official jail logs \u2013 even though security video showed him sprawled across the floor in his own waste, unable to stand.<\/p>\n

\"Family
Dakota County Jail guards\u2019 wellbeing checks documented Bimpong as \u201cinmate and cell OK\u201d as he laid on the floor in his own waste<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more than three hours, correctional officers can be seen walking past his cell while he lay on the floor in obvious distress. The jail nurse was not called until a female guard noted he was foaming at the mouth and having seizure-like activity. Assuming a drug overdose, based on his DWI arrest by the DRE officer, the nurse administered Narcan three times without response.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When paramedics finally arrived, Bimpong\u2019s blood pressure was measured at a life-threatening 240\/216 \u2013 which indicated a hypertensive crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Family
Bimpong was in a hypertensive crisis when paramedics arrived at the Dakota County Jail<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Body-worn camera captured a conversation between the nurse and a guard discussing how Bimpong was ignored, and the so-called well-being checks were not being done properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Bimpong was being loaded onto a stretcher, the guard tells the jail nurse what happened earlier. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018he\u2019s been that way all night, not to worry about it,\u2019\u201d said the guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The nurse replies, \u201cThat\u2019s not okay.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d the guard responded, \u201cthis person (the other guard) is not checking when he\u2019s doing rounds. He\u2019s just walking by and scanning.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bimpong was rushed to Regina hospital in Hastings and ultimately transferred to United Hospital in St Paul, but it was too late. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Tests showed he\u2019d had a large intraparenchymal hemorrhage \u2013 a massive brain bleed \u2013 that had caused his brain to shift and his brain stem to squeeze out of the bottom of his skull.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Family
Bimpong was in a hypertensive crisis when paramedics arrived at the Dakota County Jail<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He was declared brain dead and removed from life support on November 19, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toxicology reports, by both the hospital and later the state crime lab, confirmed no drugs were in his system. The assumption he\u2019d overdosed on drugs was clearly wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Allegations of Systemic Failures<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lawsuit names three Eagan police officers and seven Dakota County correctional officers, along with Dakota County itself, as defendants. It claims violations of Bimpong\u2019s constitutional rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among the allegations:\u00a0<\/p>\n