Henry Armstrong

How they died

Less-than-lethal force

Henry Armstrong died in a police cruiser after allegedly swallowing a plastic bag containing a white, powdery substance. Police had responded to Club Onyx at about 6:45 a.m., where staff said an armed robbery had occurred. Armstrong and another man were in the custody of the club's security staff when police arrived. Officers arrested both men. Armstrong died on the way to the station, according to police. Armstrong and the other man complained that nightclub staff had beaten them, police said. St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone said preliminary autopsy results indicated that Armstrong died of asphyxiation after a plastic bag became lodged in his throat.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Henry Armstrong, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources