Justice Department Clears Nashville Police Department In Death Of Suspect

The Justice Department has cleared law officers in Nashville of any wrongdoing in the death of a black Howard County resident who died after being arrested last year. The department`s civil rights division reviewed the case and said in a letter that its investigation is now closed. But, the department said other agencies would not be precluded from conducting their own inquiries. The death of 27-year-old Larry "Nicky" Hill Junior became the focus of numerous protests that alleged police caused his death. Hill died after he ran from officers who tried to arrest him for drunken driving September 13th, 2003. Hill was subdued by Nashville police officer Steve Dallas, who used pepper spray and tackled Hill twice. Hill was in the booking room of the jail when he began having trouble breathing and then collapsed. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Justice Department cleared Dallas and a sheriff`s deputy. Prosecutor Tom Cooper says the federal investigation is in line with a local review of the case. Family spokesman A-C Dumas says a pending civil lawsuit will bring out alleged civil rights violations in the case.