‘A really tragic series of events.’ In six hours, three fentanyl overdoses in Lawrence
In a little more than six hours, Lawrence police responded to three overdose calls, with one person dead and another in critical condition.
The first call came in at 9:30 Monday night and the third about 3:45 Tuesday morning. In each of the three calls officers found evidence that led them “to believe fentanyl was the cause,” according to Lawrence police.
“Overnight we had a really tragic series of events here in Lawrence,” Police Chief Rich Lockhart said as he began a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “... One of the things that we really want to emphasize here is that fentanyl is the deadliest drug that’s out in our country today.”
And before Lockhart made a plea for his community and others to heed the warnings of the dangerous drug — only a “tiny amount of fentanyl is enough to kill” — he laid out the facts of what his department and other first responders experienced in just a few hours.
The first call sent officers to the 900 block of Connecticut.
“That’s where the 39-year-old male was pronounced dead at the scene,” Lockhart said to reporters gathered inside the lobby of the Lawrence Police Department.
About 30 minutes later, “we went to the 400 block of Illinois,” he said. “And that was for the 19-year-old female. She was transported to the hospital and is now on life support.”
And then came the third call, before 4 a.m., sending officers to 100 Maple St. and the “city-sanctioned homeless support site,” where about 50 homeless people live.
“Another 39-year-old female required seven doses of Narcan to save her,” Lockhart said. “She is back out there today.”
The woman received the nasal spray before medics and police officers arrived, said Laura McCabe, a Lawrence Police spokeswoman. The medication can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes.
It wasn’t clear Tuesday afternoon who gave her the Narcan.
Before any questions, Lockhart launched into a sort of public service announcement and warning for residents in his community and families whose children may be lured by pills they are given or buy.
All manner of illegal drugs are now regularly laced with fentanyl, a common method to boost their potency that dramatically raises the chance of a fatal overdose.
“In communities all around the country, we’re seeing fentanyl kill people,” Lockhart said. “Either because they don’t know they have fentanyl or because they are using drugs that they aren’t aware have fentanyl in them.”
Federal authorities also have warned that counterfeit prescription drugs dyed in bright colors may contain dangerous levels of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. That has led to thousands of overdose deaths.
The warning, Lockhart said, is “be careful about using drugs.”
“It doesn’t care how old you are,” he said of fentanyl. “It doesn’t care what your economic status is. It doesn’t care what race or gender you are. It only knows that it’s deadly.
“We have a saying that ‘One pill can kill’ and certainly in many of these instances, that’s all it took.”
Records show there were no fentanyl-related deaths in Lawrence in 2018 and 2019, according to police.
But by 2021, “a total of 33 overdose calls could (be) traced to fentanyl or a fentanyl/heroin mix.”
In “about half” of those cases, police said the person did not survive.
In 2022, “deaths dipped a little,” according to a graphic provided by police.
“Overdoses continue to rise,” Lockhart said. “(But) fewer people were dying, we noticed last year. We attribute that to the availability of Narcan.”
The frustrating thing for authorities, Lockhart said, is fentanyl overdoses and deaths are preventable. Not just by having Narcan on hand.
“Only use pills that you get from a pharmacy,” the chief said. “Talk to your kids about it. Make sure that they are aware that pills can’t be trusted unless you get them from a pharmacy.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2023 at 7:09 PM.
