Who Was Kingsley Bimpong? Federal Officers Sued After Leaving Postal Worker on Jail Floor During Fatal Stroke

A 50-year-old U.S. postal worker originally from Ghana, Kingsley Fifi Bimpong, has become the centre of a national outcry after his family filed a £94 million ($120 million) federal lawsuit accusing law enforcement and correctional officers in Minnesota of allowing him to die from a stroke they mistook for a drug overdose.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court by Robins Kaplan LLP, names the City of Eagan, Dakota County, three police officers, and seven correctional officers. It alleges deliberate indifference, negligence, and violations of Bimpong's constitutional rights, claiming that officials ignored repeated signs of medical distress, muted body cameras, and left him lying on a jail cell floor for hours as his condition deteriorated.

A Postal Worker's Final Hours

According to the complaint, Bimpong's ordeal began on 16 November 2024, when he was stopped by Eagan police officers after driving the wrong way down a street. Body camera footage showed him disoriented, confused, and visibly ill, yet still wearing his U.S. Postal Service vest from work earlier that evening.

Despite having no smell of alcohol and showing clear neurological symptoms, officers concluded he was under the influence of drugs. One officer, Martin Jensen, a trained Drug Recognition Evaluator, allegedly refused to perform the proper medical assessment, reportedly saying a full evaluation would be 'a whole bunch of time wasted.'

When another officer suggested taking Bimpong to the hospital, Jensen allegedly replied, 'For what?'

Instead, Bimpong was arrested and transported to the Dakota County Jail, where his health rapidly declined.

Ignored, Collapsing, and Left to Die

Surveillance footage cited in the lawsuit reportedly shows Bimpong stumbling, collapsing, and lying motionless on the floor of his cell for hours.

He urinated on himself multiple times while guards walked past during routine wellness checks. Jail logs continued to record 'inmate and cell OK' even as Bimpong lay unresponsive.

It was only after he was found cold to the touch and foaming at the mouth that a nurse finally entered his cell. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital in Hastings, then later to United Hospital in St. Paul, where doctors declared him brain-dead three days later.

A medical report confirmed Bimpong had suffered a massive intracerebral haemorrhage, a severe stroke. Toxicology results found no trace of drugs or alcohol.

Who Was Kingsley Bimpong?

Bimpong was a lawful permanent resident of the United States who had lived in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, for over a decade.

He was known among colleagues and friends as a hardworking and kind man who took pride in his work with the U.S. Postal Service.

On the night of his arrest, he had left work early after complaining of a headache and blurred vision—both early warning signs of a stroke. His family believes that if officers had sought medical attention immediately, he could have survived.

Family Seeks Justice

Bimpong's partner, Rosalind Lewis, and cousin, Josephine Adu-Gyane, say the lawsuit is about accountability and reform. 'Kingsley's death was not an accident but the result of conscious decisions to ignore a man in medical crisis,' the complaint states.

The family hopes the case will lead to changes in how law enforcement and correctional facilities handle suspected medical emergencies, especially when symptoms mimic intoxication.

Systemic Failures Under Scrutiny

The lawsuit raises broader questions about training, bias, and accountability within U.S. law enforcement. Advocates say Bimpong's case illustrates a pattern of systemic neglect in which officers misinterpret medical crises—particularly among people of colour—as signs of criminal behaviour.

As federal proceedings move forward, the tragedy of Kingsley Bimpong serves as a grim reminder of how a misjudgement lasting mere minutes can cost a life.

'He was a proud postal worker, a loving partner, and a man who deserved care, not suspicion,' Lewis said. 'Instead, they left him to die alone on a jail floor.