ER Toxicology reports show Moore only had Aleve in body at death

Toxicology reports show Moore only had Aleve in body at death
by Christine Bensen-Messinger, 5/5/2006

Approximately three weeks after the fatal shooting of Eureka resident Cheri Moore, Humboldt County Coroner Frank Jager said her toxicology reports show that she had no traces of illegal or prescribed drugs in her body.

“The only thing they found in her system was (Aleve),” he said, adding that it is an over-the-counter pain-relief medication.

Moore, 48, was shot and killed by Eureka police officers after brandishing a flare gun during a standoff that lasted approximately two and a half hours.

Friends said Moore suffered from mental illness and had run out of her medicine on the day of the incident.

“She was prescribed a number of different psychotropic medications which (were) supposed to keep her in balance … and it appears that she was not taking them at all because they were not in her system at all,” Jager said.

Her actions on the day of the incident were consistent with someone who was not taking her medication, he said.

While some community residents have expressed outrage about the police response, Eureka Police Chief Dave Douglas said in a news conference April 27 that preliminary investigation results that have been released so far appear to show that the officers who shot Moore were justified in their actions and acted legally and lawfully.

The incident is being investigated by the county’s Critical Incident Response Team, which consists of representatives from the Eureka Police Department, Fortuna Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Justice.

(Christine Bensen-Messinger can be reached at cbensen@eurekareporter.com.)
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