Autopsy reveals Rodney King accidentally drowned after drinking and taking cocktail of cocaine, PCP and marijuana

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Rodney King had been drinking and was on a cocktail of drugs when he plunged into a swimming pool and accidentally drowned, a coroner’s report released today concluded. The report confirmed a police conclusion that King died by accident and the case will be closed, Rialto police Capt. Randy DeAnda said. ‘The investigation is now completed and basically the autopsy and toxicology reinforces our conclusions,’ DeAnda said.King, whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 led to deadly rioting, had long struggled with addiction. A call from King’s fiancee brought police to his Rialto home at 5:30am on June 17. Officers pulled him from the bottom of the pool and he was pronounced dead at a hospital. His fiancée could not swim and attempted to revive King by prodding him with a pitchfork and hoe before authorities arrived, according to the report. The San Bernardino County coroner’s report listed the cause of death as drowning ‘and the contributing cause was combined with ethanol (alcohol) and multiple drug toxicity,’ DeAnda said. Toxicology tests showed that King had a blood-alcohol level of .06 and amounts of PCP, cocaine and marijuana in his system, the captain said. ‘Mr King was in a state of drug- and alcohol-induced delirium at the time of the terminal event and either fell or jumped into the swimming pool,’ DeAnda said. ‘Obviously, the effects of the drugs and alcohol combined precipitated some kind of cardiac arrhythmia, thus incapacitated Mr King, and he was unable to save himself.’