Adama did not have an ID with him, and ran away.[3] Three officers of the National Gendarmerie caught him and pinned him down with their bodyweight. Shortly thereafter, Traoré died, with the official report listing heart failure as cause of death. A second autopsy listed asphyxiation as the cause of death.[3] A subsequent investigation by the police exonerated the officers.[4] Activists argue that his death was the direct result of excessive use of force by the police.[5]