Man, 21, 'annoyed his 15-year-old brother was vaping indoors punched him in the head, cracking his skull and killing him'
- Authorities arrested Tyler M. Kiger, 21, on an involuntary manslaughter charge
- He was charged in connection with the death of his brother, Michael Kiger, 15
- Michael died several hours after Tyler allegedly punched him in the head
- An autopsy revealed that Michael had suffered a fractured skull which lead to bleeding in his brain
- Police said the incident occurred after Michael got upset that his vaping device had been taken away from him
- The brothers' father said in a Facebook video the incident was not intentional
An Indiana man was charged with involuntary manslaughter after he allegedly punched his 15-year-old brother, who later died, in the head because he was vaping indoors.
La Porte County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on Facebook that Tyler M. Kiger, 21, of La Porte, Indiana, was arrested and charged with the level five felony on June 18 in connection with the death of his brother, Michael Kiger, 15.
Tyler is accused of having punched Michael on the head at their great-grandmother's home, resulting in the teen sustaining a fractured skull, which led to his death the next day.
Authorities charged Tyler Kiger, 21, with involuntary manslaughter after he allegedly punched his brother in the head, fracturing his skull and leading to his death the next day
An autopsy determined that Michael Kiger (pictured), 15, died after suffering a fractured skull that led to bleeding in his brain. His death was declared a homicide
During a preliminary hearing, police told a judge that Michael had called 911 on the evening of June 7 to report that he had been 'battered' by his brother and 'complained of pain to his head' and said that he was having a hard time hearing out of one of his ears, according to a recording obtained by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Michael was said to have been 'very frantic' and 'emotional' during the call, but by the time police and first responders arrived at the brothers' great-grandmother's rural LaPorte County home, 'his speech began to slow.'
Michael was said to have been screaming and yelling at the beginning of the 911 call, but that when authorities arrived, he told the dispatcher that he wanted to 'go to sleep.'
Police said that Michael's great-grandmother, who was not named, refused permission to allow first responders to access his condition or take him to the hospital. Instead, Michael was transported to the home where his mother was staying.
Authorities said that Tyler (left) told them that he had punched Michael (right) on the left side of the head with his right fist. Police said the incident started because Michael was upset that his vaping device was taken from him
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About four or five hours afterwards, on June 8, Michael was found unresponsive in the home.
First responders were unable to revive him either at the home and he was declared dead at the hospital.
When Tyler arrived at the hospital, he allegedly told police that he had used his right fist to punch Michael on the left side of his head. Michael's injury was said to have been on the left side.
An autopsy revealed a fractured skull had led to bleeding in his brain. It was determined that he died of blunt force trauma to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.
Police said that the incident had started because Michael was upset that his vaping device had been taken away from him.
Ron Papke, the brothers' father, took to Facebook with a live video posted on June 15, stating that Michael's death was unintentional.
'The truth of this matter is that this was a case of two brothers that got into it — two brothers getting into it as two brothers would — only this time it didn't end well,' Papke said, according to the newspaper.
He said that he was posting the video because he wanted 'the people to know the truth.'
Michael's obituary noted that the teen was 'very energetic, fun loving and sometimes annoying. He had a heart for animals, especially his pet chickens. He liked to make money and some people knew him as "Money Mike".'
Tyler was given a $15,000 cash bond and was scheduled for an initial hearing on Friday.
