New Haven, Conn., detectives are continuing their investigation into the sudden death of a Yale professor who was being held in a cell at the Union Avenue Detention Facility.
Police said Samuel See, 34, of New Haven, was arrested on the night of Saturday Nov. 23. The next morning, he was found unresponsive in his cell and later pronounced deceased.
Police said See and officers fell during the arrest and See suffered a cut over his eye, but the preliminary autopsy report rules out trauma as a cause of death.
Police went to See's home after receiving a complaint of a domestic dispute at 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 23.
According to police, See's husband, Saunder Ganglani, 32, of New Haven, had gone to See's home to retrieve his belongings despite a protective order that was in place and there was a domestic dispute.
As police investigated, they determined that thee were court orders for both men, prohibiting them from contacting each other.
Ganglani told officers that he’d spent about two and a half hours at the house on Saturday before police responded.
Officers charged Ganglani with violating the protective order and spoke with See, who told police to remove Ganglani from the home, police said.
When police mentioned to See that there was also a protective order for him to stay away from Ganglani, he “became enraged," police said.
He yelled that it was his house, said he shouldn't be arrested and fought with the officers when they tried handcuffing him.
As he was being brought to the cruiser, he yelled "I will kill you. … I will destroy you" to one of the officers, police said.
Last month, police said See had suffered a cut over his eye and police called for EMS to evaluate him, police said.
Today, police said See and officers fell during the arrest.
An ambulance transported See to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was treated.
After being released, he was placed in police custody, taken to the detention facility at 9:10 p.m. and charged with violating a protective order, interfering with Police and threatening in the second degree.
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According to police, state marshals said they routinely checked See, who was alone in his cell, throughout the night, spoke with him and made eye contact with him.
6:00 am, on Sunday, November 24th, while making a routine check and delivering breakfast to the detainees, they found Mr. See to be unresponsive. They immediately began CPR and called for Medical Assistance. EMS personnel arrived and pronounced Mr. See deceased at approximately 6:15 am.
Detectives from the New Haven Police Department are investigating the death.
"Mr. Samuel See was delivered to the detention center on Nov. 23 at approximately 9:10 p.m. by New Haven Police and was alert and communicating with Judicial Marshals throughout his detainment until Marshals assigned to the detention center found him non-responsive in his cell at approximately 6 a.m. on Nov. 24. Marshals immediately provided CPR and other lifesaving efforts, until relieved by New Haven Fire and Rescue," Rhonda Stearley-Hebert, program manager of communications for the Connecticut Judicial Branch, said in an e-mailed statement.
Police Chief Dean Esserman has also ordered an Internal Investigation of the circumstances surrounding See's death.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of New Haven Resident and Yale Professor, Samuel See. Most importantly, I offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to Mr. Sees family and the Yale community, as they deal with the passing of their beloved son, husband and Professor," Esserman said.
"I also apologize for the Police Departments late reporting of the incident, this is not the standard that the New Haven Police Department holds itself to, and we will work to ensure that this does not happen again,” Esserman said.
See was an assistant professor of English and American Studies who was on leave this semester.
"The University community is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Samuel See. Our condolences go out to his family, faculty colleagues, and students, and his friends at Yale and elsewhere," a statement from Yale says.
The school is encouraging anyone at Yale who needs support to reach out to friends in the community or to use university resources that are available for consultation and counseling, including the university chaplain.
Students can seek help from Yale Mental Health and Counseling . Staff can seek help from Magellan Health Services.
