SEATTLE -- Since moving to Seattle from Hong Kong, Wood and Shun Ma always lived together. They took care of each other, Wood said. His brother battled mental illness while he, most recently, worked in maintenance at a local community college.
Wood Ma said he never had a problem with his brother until December 4, when Shun threatened to kill him.
"He suspected me to steal his medicine," said Wood. "If I didn't return his medicine, he would kill me. I called 9-1-1."
Seattle police showed up and, according to Ma, his brother fought back with a broomstick. He heard, but did not see, a scuffle in the entry of their house.
Shun Ma, 64, was arrested, but taken to Harborview Medical Center with a broken elbow. It's that injury, according to the King County Medical Examiner, that led to Shun's death Tuesday.
In a report made public Wednesday afternoon, the King County Medical Examiner determined Ma's death was a homicide. A blood clot in his lung was the result of an existing injury. Other mitigating factors besides the scuffle with police, according to the report, Ma's own schizophrenic and threatening behavior.
Wood Ma said he is not upset with police because he did not see the fight itself. More than anything, he said, he is sad his brother is gone.
"It's very, very hard," he explained. "Frustration, confusion. It's all of that."
The case is now being investigated by Seattle's Office of Professional Accountability, the police department's watchdog.
The Seattle Police Department released this statement:
The Seattle Police Department and King County Medical Examiner's office are working to review details surrounding the death of a 64-year-old man, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries during an arrest earlier this month. It appears other medical factors played a significant role in his death.
On the morning of December 3rd, police responded to a Beacon Hill home after receiving a report that a 64-year-old brother was in crisis and had threatened to kill a family member.
Police arrived at the home and took the 64-year-old man into custody. During the arrest, the man struggled with officers and sustained a non-life-threatening injury to his elbow.
Seattle Fire Department medics treated the man at the scene before a private ambulance transported him to Harborview Medical Center, where he was held for crisis treatment.
The 64-year-old man remained at Harborview until December 14th, when he suffered from a medical episode. He was transferred to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, where he later died.
The department learned of the man's death yesterday after members of his family contacted detectives to inquire about retrieving his property.
