VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The death of a man who was in Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office custody back in June has been ruled a homicide.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Norfolk shared the update with 10 On Your Side Friday afternoon, saying Rolin Hill died from “positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression.”

The update came after the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that five deputies involved in the Hill incident had been terminated, and a day after 10 On Your Side requested the autopsy report in the case.

“Based on updates from the Virginia State Police in the Rolin Hill case, deputies of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office involved in this incident are no longer employees of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Rocky Holcomb announced Friday.

Holcomb said he couldn’t comment further on the case, as it’s still under investigation by Virginia State Police and the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, but said his office is cooperating and committed to transparency.

“We remain committed to justice and transparency, which is why I requested an independent investigation by VSP immediately upon being notified of what occurred on June 4. Our hearts continue to go out to Mr. Hill’s family during this difficult time,” Holcomb said.

State Police said there were no updates as of Friday. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, meanwhile, shared this statement:

“We are aware of the cause of death and the fact that those five deputies are no longer employed by the Sheriff’s Office. The results of the Sheriff’s internal investigation do not impact the independent criminal investigation being conducted by the Virginia State Police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. This office has been in contact with the Virginia State Police since the start of this investigation. Once the VSP turn over their report, we will thoroughly review it. We ask for the public’s patience throughout our continued investigation and will share an update at the conclusion of our review.”

Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office

The sheriff’s office said back in June after Hill’s death that he suffered medical emergency after being restrained by the deputies. Two friends of Hill, who was 34 years old at the time, told 10 On Your Side at the time that they believed the medical emergency was caused by Hill’s treatment at the jail.

“There was more than four deputies that were fighting with him, and they said he was being combative, and I believe that they beat him until he had a medical emergency, and then they felt they had to deal with it as they saw fit afterwards, which was not the correct way,” a friend told WAVY’s Andy Fox.

Local community activists and organizations are all waiting to see what the full investigation will reveal.

“We want justice, I mean no one should die in this manner,” said Rev. Gary McCollum, president and co-founder of Due The Right Things.

“The humanization of people who are brought into custody and are suspects, made to understand that while there may be a charge may even be a crime these are human beings and they should be treated as such,” Activist Michael J. Muhammad said.

Muhammad recalled a time in the past that there was a similar incident to this one.

“Just 24 years ago, Raymond Chandler here in Norfolk, Virginia died with positional asphyxiation,” Muhammad said.

The Virginia Beach NAACP released a statement to our newsroom:

“The Virginia Beach NAACP was recently made aware of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office terminating the employment of five deputies involved in the death of
Rolin Hill, a local citizen who tragically died after suffering a medical emergency while at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center.

“Although the medical examiner has confirmed that the death of Hill was a homicide, the Virginia State police continues to investigate this incident and no charges have been issued. We await the final findings of the report and hope that those who participated in this crime will be held accountable up to the fullest extent of the law. We continue to stand with the family of Rolin Hill and call for justice and transparency.”

Virginia Beach NAACP