Death certificate states Joshua Conant's death was a homicide

The death of a 26-year-old man outside a Port Huron bar in November was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner.

A copy of the death certificate reviewed by the Times Herald revealed Joshua Conant's cause of death, stating the homicide happened via "cardiorespiratory arrest due to physical subdual with prone restraint."

Conant died around 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 4 after multiple bouncers from Roche Bar were seen getting on top of him in an apparent attempt to restrain him.

A bar staff member called 911 and a responding Port Huron Police Department officer arrived and handcuffed Conant. She then realized Conant was unresponsive. Attempts to resuscitate Conant failed and he was later pronounced dead.

Conant's death caused uproar in Port Huron and the Blue Water Area, with several witnesses comparing it to the 2020 murder of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck while restraining him. Conant's family have hosted rallies and fundraisers to support him, with the slogan #JusticeforJosh being used at protests, on bumper stickers and displayed on billboards. Roche Bar has remained closed since the incident.

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The Port Huron Police Department conducted an internal review of the conduct of its officers, concluding in December its officers, including the one who handcuffed Conant, had acted correctly based on the information they had.

The death certificate, which was provided to the Times Herald by Conant's family, was signed by Dr. Daniel Spitz, the St. Clair County medical examiner, Nov. 6. No charges have been filed in the more than nine months since Conant died.

Michigan State Police completed an investigation into Conant's death in February and turned its findings over to the Michigan Attorney General's Office. The St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office had recused itself from the case after St. Clair County Prosecutor Michael Wendling said he had known both Conant, and knew one of the owners of Roche Bar.

The Times Herald has reached out to the Michigan Attorney General's Office multiple times since police finished the investigation. Danny Wimmer, press secretary for the Attorney General, said the case remains under review to consider who, if anyone, should be charged, and with what.

"What is taking so long? What more do they need?" said Mark Sanderson, Conant's uncle who spoke to the Times Herald on behalf of the family. "In some ways waiting feels worse than if they just said no."

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Death certificate states Joshua Conant's death was a homicide