US woman dies after forcefully removed from hospital

A black woman has died after being forcefully removed by police from a hospital in the US state of Florida, authorities said.

Barbara Dawson, 57, went to a hospital in Tallahassee on Monday, to seek treatment for her breathing difficulties.

According to reports, doctors told Dawson that she was in good condition and should leave the hospital, but she refused, arguing that she still had pain.

Police handcuffed Dawson to escort her out of the hospital, but she collapsed during the process and died two hours later, according to local police chief Mark Mallory.

Mallory said that the officer who arrested Dawson removed the handcuffs after she collapsed and took her back into the hospital.

An autopsy was performed on Dawson and the results were expected to be released Wednesday, Mallory said.

Doctors initially thought Dawson was in good condition and should be released but she felt like she still had breathing issues and wanted to stay, said attorney Daryl Parks, who is representing the victim’s family.

"The most reasonable thing to do is to let her sit there and be able to settle down until she felt well. Instead, she is forcibly removed and put in cuffs," Parks said. "The early facts of this case should cause a great concern for everyone."

Dawson's family told CBS that she used an oxygen tank all the time. Once taken outside the hospital, relatives said Dawson "pleaded for her oxygen."

Her family said she went to the same hospital on Sunday night because of her stomach pains.

Dale R. Landry, the regional vice president for the Florida State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said “we strongly believe the death was due to negligence by the police department and hospital."

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