Kyneton death: Lethal substance that killed suspect during police raid as five officers are rushed to hospital
Five officers were taken to hospital after a man they arrested died after swallowing a highly lethal poison during a police operation at his home.
Police arrested the 27-year-old man on Tuesday at a home in Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges, about 86 kilometres (53 miles) northwest of Melbourne.
They called for medical help and began CPR when the man became “unwell and unresponsive.”
The man died at the scene, despite the efforts of emergency services to resuscitate him.
Five officers who were in the house at the time were uninjured but were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Forensic investigations are currently underway into the substance the man swallowed.
According to police sources, the man swallowed sodium cyanide, the reported age.
The man’s shocked family are now demanding answers about what happened during his arrest, Nine News reports.
Fice police officers were rushed to hospital after a suspect allegedly swallowed sodium cyanide – a deadly substance – during a search of a house in Kyneton, Victoria, on Tuesday
Police are investigating the substance and declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Officers went to the home as part of an ongoing investigation. A Victoria Police spokeswoman declined to comment.
Because the man died in police custody, the Professional Standards and Homicide Squad have launched an investigation into the man’s death.
Sodium cyanide is primarily used for industrial purposes, particularly in the gold mining industry. A 2010 government assessment found that it was also used in metal cleaning, research, and pest control.
The chemical substance has since been widely banned and is not registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for agricultural or animal use.
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