Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International; Wednesday November 12, 1997 11:53 AM EST
The officers reportedly tried to save the suspect's life following the Halloween night confrontation, even after being warned at the scene that 37-year-old Robert Daniel Murphy was infected with the disease.
Medical documents released to The Denver Post show that Murphy has AIDS and family members have confirmed what the records say. He died at a hospital after he lost consciousness while being placed under arrest.
The Post reports that a lawyer for the policemen said a relative of Murphy told officers at the scene that Murphy had AIDS, and that the cops tried to save Murphy's life despite the risk.
Murphy's wife, Jackie, who at first balked at going public with her husband's condition because of the stigma the disease carries, released his medical records, the Post reported.
The records say Murphy was HIV-positive and was being treated for full-blown AIDS, the newspaper says.
Jackie Murphy said, "More than anyone in this world, I know what those cops are going through because I went through it myself." Noting that neither she or anyone in her family has tested positive, the woman said, "...six months of misery is enough to make them think twice before they hit somebody in the head."
Officers said they tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Murphy and fished objects he had swallowed from his throat. Witnesses said there was blood at the scene.
AIDS is a fatal disease usually spread by sexual contact or dirty intravenous needles. But AIDS can be transmitted when bodily fluids of an infected person make contact with another person's blood.
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