William Ton and Callum Godde, AAP
The devastated family of a man who died a week after an arrest left him unresponsive hopes a homicide investigation into two suspended police officers will provide the answers they need.
Luke Briggs, 35, was arrested at 2am by police in a convenience store car park in Melbourne’s southwest on July 15.
The Hoppers Crossing man became unresponsive during the arrest and the officers performed CPR before calling for medical assistance.
He was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital but died on Tuesday night.
Mr Briggs’ family said he died in the intensive care unit wearing his favourite Bunnings jumper, beer by his side and surrounded by his family.
“In his final hours, we shared stories and reminded Luke how much we loved him while his favourite songs played in the background,” they said in a statement.
A male sergeant and a male constable have been suspended as an investigation by the homicide squad continues.
“We couldn’t be more heartbroken with the tragic events that we’ve endured over the past nine days and we hope the ongoing investigation provides the answers we’re looking for,” the family said.
“We will miss you, Luke. We don’t know how we can go on without you.”
The probe is being overseen by Professional Standards Command, which is standard practice when a person is seriously injured or dies while in custody.
