The family of an Ohio psychiatric patient has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court on Monday. Kelly Brinson, 45, died after being shocked with a taser while being restrained in the hospital. The family claims that Cincinnati police used excessive force on Brinson, resulting in his death. Additionally, the family alleges that University Hospital was negligent in caring for Brinson.

Brinson voluntarily committed himself to the hospital's psychiatric unit last January to be treated for paranoid schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, delusions and other mental disorders. Three days after admitting himself, Brinson become angry and irritated after hospital staff took away his cell phone, which he was using as a radio. Hospital staff tried to control Brinson by giving him a powerful drug to tranquilize him and placed him in a secluded room while they waited for the drug to take effect.

The family's suit claims that while Brinson was in this room, seven Cincinnati police came into the room and shocked Brinson multiple times. According to news reports, Brinson was shocked first in the hip and then in the upper stomach. As a result, Brinson went into cardiac arrest and died three days after being on a respirator.

According to the lawsuit, police "made shows of force, used escalated threats, including threatening to handcuff and (shock) him, and then further escalated the situation by rushing Brinson and using physical force." This was one of nearly 44 counts in the suit.

A state investigation into Brinson's death has begun to determine whether the police response to the situation was too intense. The University Hospital was placed on probation, which was lifted later this spring after the state approved its plan to correct any issues to avoid another similar situation.

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