PHOENIX — Police are conducting a "death investigation" near 7th Avenue and McDowell Road early Friday morning.
Just before 1 a.m., officers responded to the area after receiving reports of a nude man in the roadway.
The man was said to be acting erratically and officers detained the man in order to get him to a safer location.
Police say while officers had the man detained in handcuffs on the ground, he began to kick and spit. Officers put a restraint on his legs and placed a spit mask over his face before putting him on his side.
The man was then assisted onto his feet and placed in a seated position with his legs in front of him on a curb.
Police say he became nonverbal and unresponsive so officers removed the restraints, handcuffs and spit mask so Phoenix Fire Department crews could perform life-saving measures.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The cause of his death has not been determined. The investigation is ongoing.
Police say the man has been identified as 28-year-old Jessee Rickman.
