North Carolina man dies in police custody after officer uses pepper spray

A 31-year-old man has died in North Carolina after an arrest attempt involving pepper spray, police said on Thursday, prompting a state investigation and the placement of four officers on administrative duty.

Travis Nevelle Page was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He had become unresponsive after being placed in handcuffs, the Winston-Salem Police Department said.

The department said the four officers responded on Wednesday night to reports of gunshots and located Page, the suspect.

A brief struggle began when officers tried to detain Page, and one of them used pepper spray to help gain control, according to a police statement.

The department said a handgun was found on Page, who was black.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating. The officers, all of whom are white, have been on the force in Winston-Salem between one to 22 years, the department said.

High-profile killings of black men by mainly white police officers in U.S. cities have prompted a national debate and protests about the use of excessive force by law enforcement.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)