Overview
- The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner certified on Aug. 7 that 29-year-old Brandon Clarke died from the effects of heroin and cocaine and ruled the manner of death accidental.
- Paramedics found Clarke unresponsive in his San Fernando Valley home and pronounced him dead about 15 minutes after arriving on May 11, with drug paraphernalia reported at the scene.
- A deputy medical examiner conducted an initial exam on May 12 and final certification was delayed while toxicology and other tests were completed.
- About six weeks before his death Clarke was arrested in Arkansas after a high-speed traffic stop where deputies seized roughly 235 grams of kratom, but the medical examiner did not list kratom as a cause.
- A full DME report and supporting documentation are expected to be released later, and Clarke’s family, teammates and the Grizzlies continue to grieve the loss of the seven-season player whose final years were limited by major injuries.