A US man who persuaded his brother to eat cocaine after they were arrested is to be charged with causing his death, reports said.
According to online reports, Wayne Joshua Mitchell, 20, collapsed and died an hour after ingesting the drug from his brother's butt to help hide evidence while the pair were in the back of police car in North Charleston, South Carolina.
His 23-year-old brother, who was captured on a police video cameras urging his brother to eat the drug, has been charged with his death.
The incident happened on November 30 but police waited for the toxicology results before charging the elder Mitchell with involuntary manslaughter.
The brothers were pulled over while driving in North Charleston after a patrol car noticed one of their headlights wasn't working.
Officers put the brothers in the back of a police cruiser while they searched the car.
A video camera recorded what happened next as DeAngelo Mitchell told his brother he couldn't afford another strike against him and that he needed his brother to eat the cocaine he had in his possession.
“You gonna eat it, you gonna chew it,” DeAngelo Mitchell tells his brother.
“You ain't got no strike... I can get you out... I can't afford another strike.”
Mitchell then appears to hand off the cocaine, which was stuffed in his buttocks, to his brother.
“One of us gotta do it,” Mitchell said.
“You the only one that don't have no strikes... You my lil' brother... I'm gonna get life... You gonna unwrap it? Want me to hand you it?'
According to police, Wayne Mitchell then ate the cocaine.
'I love you, bro,' he said.
Minutes later the younger Mitchell began having trouble breathing and holding his head up. His brother told police the 20-year-old had swallowed cocaine, but did not mention where it came from.
Despite being rushed to hospital doctors were unable to save Mitchell.
“It's sickening,” North Charleston police chief Jon Zumwalt was quoted as saying.
“I got upset when I saw the thing, I'm pretty shocked about it.
“For me, an older brother is supposed to love his little brother, have his back and take good care of him. That's not what was happening in this car.”
DeAngelo Mitchell has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Police records show he has numerous convictions for drug arrests. - IOL