Employees at the Copper Steer Steakhouse helped a man who appeared to have overdosed after injecting heroin in the establishment’s restroom.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Employees of the Copper Steer Steakhouse assisted an overdose victim Tuesday, March 26, when he succumbed after injecting heroin in the business’ restroom.
According to a Safford Police report, officers were dispatched at about 6:34 p.m. to the restaurant at 1206 E. U.S. Highway 70 regarding the incident. Upon arrival, the victim was found conscious but lying on the restroom floor with restaurant staff keeping his airway open.
Paramedics from Lifeline Ambulance arrived and transported the victim to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for treatment.
While the victim was still in the restroom, an officer noted that the victim had what appeared to be a fresh injection mark on his left arm and a syringe with a brown colored liquid believed to be heroin was located near the toilet.
The victim was found to be on probation but an effort to contact his probation officer was not immediately successful.
In 2017, the U.S. saw 60,000 drug overdoses with roughly 40,000 being from opioids. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, nearly 1,500 people in Arizona died from an opiate overdose in 2017. Nationally, opioids kill 115 Americans each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In April 2018, Arizona joined 40 other states and the District of Columbia and passed a Good Samaritan overdose immunity law that protects those from arrest and prosecution from drug offenses when experiencing or observing an overdose when calling 911 or seeking medical attention.
Click here to see an article about two outpatient drug recovery facilities in Safford.
