PITTSBURGH -- Preliminary findings of a private autopsy by Dr. Cyril Wecht show 17 bruises and abrasions on the body of a Monroeville man who died after a Swissvale police officer stunned him with a Taser.

But an earlier autopsy by the Allegheny County medical examiner's office found no cuts or bruises on 37-year-old Andre Thomas, according to Dr. Abdulrezak Shakir, a pathologist in the office.

"He (Wecht) can come and examine the tissues, take the samples. We already have our samples. If he wants to suggest any studies, we are open to consider," Shakir said Monday.

Thomas' family hired Wecht for an independent autopsy after hearing witness reports of excessive force by the officers who subdued Thomas on Hawthorne Avenue on Aug. 5.

The family's lawyer, Howard Messer, displayed pictures of injuries that Wecht found on Monday, and he claims they prove Thomas was injured by police. He said the family needs to know more before deciding whether to pursue legal action.

"There is a lot more to this picture than was painted by police," Messer said.

Messer said Wecht has not had access to blood samples or Thomas' heart and cannot make a conclusion as to what killed Thomas, who died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams is waiting on toxicology tests before he rules on the official cause of death, but he has said he didn't see any evidence of excessive force.

"Let's assume that Mr. Thomas used drugs and was drunk," Messer said. "Does that call for his assassination?"

County homicide detectives -- who are investigating the case -- said it looks like Swissvale police acted appropriately by using the Taser on Thomas after he made a "furtive movement" toward them.

Officers found Thomas acting erratically on the street when they responded to calls about a man yelling and screaming and trying to enter local homes, police said.

District Attorney Stephen Zappala has said Thomas showed signs of "excited delirium syndrome," which he said is often brought on by drug use and can end in death.

Messer called that assessment "nonsense" and said, "I've been in practice 37 years, and the only time I hear 'excited delirium' used is when it's in connection with a Taser death."

On the night of the police incident, Thomas had been at a picnic where he was drinking Wild Irish Rose, Messer said. A friend drove him home and, along the way, Thomas became excited, he said. His friend dropped him off and didn't see him again.

Thomas began knocking on doors in Swissvale, asking for help, Messer said.

"He was in an excited state on that day and understood that he was having a problem," Messer said. "He wanted help and he asked for help."

Thomas did not commit any crimes, according to Messer, who said he isn't convinced that the man needed to be Tasered. He also wants to know how police restrained him after the weapon was used.

"It's unusual -- if this Taser is working properly -- for Mr. Thomas to be in any position to offer any resistance to police at that point," Messer said.

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