Sheriff: No sample taken from San Diego deputy near fentanyl

San Diego County Sheriff's Department via AP

In this image taken from police body camera video and provided by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy David Faiivae gets aid from an officer, after being exposed to fentanyl on July 3, 2021, in San Diego. A public safety video that told viewers the deputy had a near-death experience after being exposed to fentanyl used the actual footage, the San Diego Sheriff's department said Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, after critics questioned the deputy's severe reaction. The video shows "an actual incident involving the deputy as he processed a white powdery substance that tested positive for Fentanyl," a department news release said.

By: Associated Press

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — No toxicology sample was taken from the San Diego deputy who the sheriff claimed had overdosed from fentanyl exposure.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore has faced sharp criticism from public health experts following his claim that Deputy David Faiivae had a near-death experience after his face came within inches of fentanyl, an opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin, during a vehicle search on July 3.

In raw body-camera footage released Thursday night, Faiivae says he has a history of falling on his head and may have had previous concussions.

Experts told The San Diego Union-Tribune that Faiivae may have had a “nocebo” — the opposite of a placebo.