The lifeless body of Rodney King was discovered at the bottom of a swimming pool at his Rialto, California home early Sunday morning.
King, 47, was found by his fiancee Cynthia Kelly, who placed the 911 call at 5:25 a.m., summoning paramedics to the scene.
The victim was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was pronounced dead at 6:11 a.m., according to a police spokesperson.
Detectives spent several hours at King’s residence looking for evidence and gathering statements.
The San Bernadino County coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
A police beating of King, captured on video by a citizen bystander two decades ago, sparked a media frenzy and race riots.
The drama began in the minutes after Rodney King was pulled over by LAPD officers in March 1991 on suspicion of DUI. Officers kicked and struck him dozens of times with their batons causing a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and numerous bruises and lacerations.
Four of the officers were tried for excessive force. When they were acquitted in April 1992, the worst urban riot in U.S. history broke in Los Angeles.
The investigation was reopened by the U.S. Dept of Justice. A federal trial determined that two of the officers were guilty of brutality and sentenced to 32 months in prison. Two others were acquitted a second time.
King struggled with substance abuse issues and in recent years appeared on reality shows ‘Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew’ and its spinoff ‘Sober House’ and he also won a celebrity boxing match again an ex-cop in 2009.
Officers arrested King again in 2011 for reckless driving and operating with an expired license.
Check out the video that plunged him into the history books below:
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Photo: WENN