Aerosol chemical found in blood tests of man who died in Kennewick police car
A chemical found in aerosol cans was found in blood tests of a 25-year-old man who died in the back of a Kennewick police car.
The Benton County Coroner’s Office hasn’t directly linked the chemical to Reno Casanova’s death, however.
The chemical — 1,1,-Difluoroethylene — was found as part of blood tests to determine what caused his death, said Richland police Capt. Brigit Clary.
The Richland captain is heading up the Regional Special Investigations Unit looking into Casanova’s Dec. 15 death outside of a Starbucks at the corner of 27th Avenue and Highway 395.
The unit, which draws members from Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties, is called in to investigate deaths related to police actions.
Clary previously reported that Casanova didn’t have any injuries related to officers using force to detain him, according to the coroner’s initial review.
The SIU unit has reported that Kennewick police were called to check on reports of a man using drugs and rolling around in a car outside of the coffee shop.
When police arrived, they saw him using drugs, according to police. Casanova was conscious when he was handcuffed and put in a patrol car. As officers were investigating, they noticed he was “experiencing an apparent medical emergency,” said a SIU release.
However, attempts to revive him failed.
Casanova had moved from Illinois to be with family in the Tri-Cities in 2018. His uncle told the Herald he was a good kid who was loved but was struggling to find his footing in life.
Anyone with information about Casanova’s death is asked to contact Richland Sgt. Damon Jansen at 509-942-7544 or djansen@ci.richland.wa.us or Pasco Sgt. Jamie Raebel at raebelj@pasco-wa.gov or 509-544-3076.
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.