An independent investigation of the death of a Boston Celtics fan who stopped breathing while in police custody found that officers acted reasonably and did not contribute to the man's death, but also concluded that police made some mistakes during the arrest.

A report released Tuesday by former U.S. Attorney Donald Stern accepted the findings of the state medical examiner _ who concluded that David Woodman's death was brought on by a heart arrhythmia that was due to a pre-existing heart condition _ and cleared police of any wrongdoing.

But Woodman's parents, Cathy and Jeff Woodman, said they do not accept the report's findings and believe that police lied about what happened during their son's arrest.

During a news conference in their lawyer's office, the Woodmans noted that Stern's report does not mention their son's injuries, as documented by the medical examiner, including seven abrasions or bruises on his face, a laceration of his lip, a bruise on his right arm, and a cut under his chin.

"In my opinion, those officers _ those nine officers _ the ones who handled him and the ones who witnessed are to blame for his death," Cathy Woodman said.

Stern's report found that police made several mistakes after they arrested Woodman on a public drinking charge on Jun 18, 2008, during the Celtics' championship celebrations. Woodman's heart stopped after his arrest; he died 11 days later.

"What we found was that some things were done right ... and some things were done wrong," Stern said at a news conference at police headquarters.

"There were some problems with how this was handled," Stern said.

Specifically, Stern said in the report, there was inadequate police supervision at the arrest scene, and it was unclear which officers were responsible for watching Woodman, a 22-year-old Emmanuel College student, after he was placed under arrest and then showed signs of medical distress.

"It is likely, of course, that Mr. Woodman was being adequately watched during this time. But, since there was no fixed responsibility and accountability, it is hard to say so with certainty," Stern said in the report.

Stern said investigators do not believe that police contributed to Woodman's death.

"But, at the very least, it was a breakdown of police procedure and has added to the family's and the public's skepticism as to what transpired that evening," Stern said.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said that after reviewing the report, he believes "that officers in no way could have foreseen or prevented Mr. Woodman's death."

"However, we will learn valuable lessons from this and will apply those lessons moving forward," he said. Continued...