A Nevada coroner’s office ruled that an inmate who was pepper-sprayed, shackled and restrained with his face to the ground was killed by prison guards.

An autopsy report revealed that 39-year-old Patrick Odale’s death at the Southern Desert Correctional Center on Dec. 28, 2023 was ruled a homicide, The Associated Press reported.

The autopsy report was finalized in late August after a nearly nine-month investigation by the Clark County coroner’s office into Odale’s death at the mostly medium security prison near Las Vegas.

The report said Odale died of “positional and mechanical asphyxia in the setting of law enforcement restraint.”

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Oregon-based forensic pathology expert Michael Freeman, who was not involved in the investigation, told The Associated Press “mechanical and positional asphyxia” typically happens when someone is restrained face down with their hands behind their back, while pressure is placed on their torso, arms or neck.

The report also noted that Odale had low levels of methamphetamine and xylazine, an animal sedative, in his system, which the coroner’s office described as a “major contributor” to his death.

When the Nevada Department of Corrections announced Odale’s death in a January news release, it did not reveal details suggesting the inmate was restrained.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Nevada Department of Corrections for comment.

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Patrick Odale died at the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Nevada on Dec. 28, 2023. (Google Maps)

The agency told The Associated Press it had no comment because the matter is still an “active investigation.”

It is not clear how many officers were involved in Odale’s death, if any of the officers were disciplined, or how Odale was able to gain access to drugs while in custody.

In May, a corrections officer was arrested as part of the agency’s so-called “crack down on contraband,” after allegedly bringing cigarettes, lighters, cellphones, vape pens, tobacco and liquid spice into the facility, court records obtained by The AP show.

Odale was sentenced in early 2023 to up to two years in prison for being in possession of a stolen credit card and attempting to carry a concealed weapon.

The night that he died, officers reported that Odale was “erratic and growling” at them, the autopsy showed.

The report said the guards pepper-sprayed Odale and put him in a storage room with yard tools for several minutes until he started “thrashing in the room.”

Officers then allegedly pulled him to the ground, restrained him and took him to the prison infirmary.

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The Clark County Coroner’s Office reported that Narcan was administered to Patrick Odale several times before he died. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

During the ordeal, medical and prison staff administered Narcan to Odale several times.

The coroner’s office reviewed video of the incident in order to determine the cause and manner of death, and the autopsy report indicates there could be a gap in the video footage.

The medical examiner said the footage shows Odale groaning as he is taken to the infirmary. Odale was also seen face-down with his hands shackled behind his back.

Then, the medical examiner said, “after a gap, video coverage resumes,” and staff is seen performing CPR on Odale, who was unresponsive.

“When the video resumes, the inmate is face-up with hands shackled anteriorly,” the autopsy stated, meaning that his hands were no longer shackled behind him but were in front of his body.

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Odale was pronounced dead shortly after.

The medical examiner ruled that Odale died because he was restrained in a way that prevented him from breathing, along with the effects of recent drug use.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CNN
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Raging wildfires in California and Nevada have led to mandatory evacuations of thousands of homes as forecasters warn of record heat in the West for the next few days. There are 14 active wildfires currently burning across California – with one so intense, it’s created its own weather pattern. Here’s the latest:

• California’s Line Fire explodes in size: The wildfire has consumed 17,237 acres as of early Sunday after igniting at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains on Thursday. The blaze has more than quadrupled in size since Saturday morning. Authorities urged residents in several areas to flee as the massive blaze shot bright red flames and thick, billowing plumes of smoke into the sky. About 500 firefighters are battling the wildfire, which was 0% contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.

• Line Fire creates its own weather: As it burns through acres of land, it’s creating its own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds. The clouds can create erratic winds that push the fire outward, spreading it farther and challenging firefighters. If it’s hot enough, the clouds can produce lightning and rain, called pyrocumulonimbus. They can reach heights of 50,000 feet and generate their own systems of thunderstorms.

• Thousands evacuated in California mountain communities: As the flames move dangerously close, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced mandatory evacuation orders for about 4,800 homes in the Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake areas. Hundreds more have been evacuated in the city of Highland. “The Line Fire is very active and spreading in receptive fuels,” Cal Fire said. “There are currently 8,733 structures threatened, including single and multi-family homes, commercial buildings, and other minor structures.”

• Emergency declared in California: Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in San Bernardino County due to the Line Fire. He has obtained a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure the availability of vital fire resources, he said in a statement.

• Nevada wildfire destroys structures: The Davis Fire, a dangerous, wind-driven blaze, has burned about 1,500 acres, destroyed at least six structures and remains 0% contained as of Sunday morning, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue said on X. “Numerous communities under evacuation orders impacting 1,800 people,” it said. “Heavy aerial resources and multiple agencies working to stop this wind-driven wildfire.” NV Energy said it has cut power to around 18,700 customers “to prevent further ignitions and protect first responders.” It asked those who still have power, and are near the fire to prepare for potential outages.

• Sweltering heat will add to the region’s misery: Excessive heat warnings and advisories are in effect for southern California, the Desert Southwest and the northern Great Basin. Temperatures in Southern California range from 95 to 105 degrees – about 10 to 20 degrees above average for the region. An air quality alert has also been issued “due to heat wave and elevated fine particle pollution levels due to wildfire smoke,” according to the National Weather Service.

The Line Fire has grown more than 14 times in size in just over 30 hours, from about 1,180 acres at 5 p.m. PT Friday to over 17,200 acres Saturday night.

As the wildfire tears through the San Bernardino County mountains, some residents have tried to stop the blaze from reaching their homes.

Highland resident Brian Gano told CNN affiliate KCAL News that he was trying to hose down the flames with his wife and son.

“The flames were right up on us because the wind shifted,” said Gano. “I got a high-pressure line in my backyard.”

Another resident, Diya Hirpara, said she’s been stocking up on groceries in case she needs to evacuate.

“It was pretty scary,” Hirpara said. “We’re just kind of on the edge, just waiting.”

Multiple agencies, including Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire and San Bernardino County Sheriff are working together to manage the fire. The American Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter at a local church for residents seeking refuge from the fire.

California is seeing an active fire season. Wildfires have scorched over 838,000 acres throughout the state so far this year compared to 255,144 acres by this time last year, according to Cal Fire.

Adding to the list of natural disasters, a pair of earthquakes struck Saturday near Ontario, California, within a half hour of each other, jolting the already rattled region.

The first earthquake was recorded at 3.5 magnitude at 10 a.m. local time, and the next one was recorded at 3.9 magnitude, according to data from US Geological Survey. Residents living as far as Los Angeles felt it.