Tiverton Man Died of Cardiac Arrest While in Police Custody

The state Department of Health says "cardiopulmonary arrest," also known as cardiac arrest, resulted in the death of former Portsmouth High School student Craig Raposa. 

This is the first time a cause of death has been released for the Tiverton man, who . 

The cause of death was determined to be "cardiopulmonary arrest during prone restraint following physical altercation due to schizophrenia and obesity with cardiomegaly," wrote Dara Chadwick, spokesperson for the Department of Health, in an e-mail Thursday. 

On Wednesday, the Attorney General's Office released the findings of a grand jury's review into the death of Raposa. 

The grand jury found that the actions by Portsmouth police officers were lawful and legally justified. 

Raposa, 25, died following a struggle with Portsmouth police, in which pepper spray was used. His mother, Brenda Raposa of Portsmouth, blamed authorities for the death of her son, who suffered from a mental illness. 

"Although we were confident that our officers had conducted themselves appropriately, and while we are pleased with the grand jury’s findings, we are nevertheless sorrowed by the fact that a human life was lost," stated acting Portsmouth Police Chief Jeffrey R. Furtado in a statement on Wednesday. 

"It is truly unfortunate that despite our best efforts, a tragedy still occurred."