HOUSTON -- A police Taser gun may have not caused the death of a man being taken into custody, as was first thought, Local 2 reported in an exclusive story Tuesday.

Officers said they were forced to user a Taser and restrain Joel Dawn Casey Friday during a violent struggle with two Precinct 1 deputy constables at his mother's home in the 4700 block of Meyerwood. He was being arrested on a mental health warrant.

Officers did not know Casey had a weak heart. His heart stopped beating after he was shot with the 50,000-volt Taser gun. But preliminary autopsy results indicate that did not kill him.

"What they're describing to me is not consistent with what some people have are Taser-caused heart attacks or heart failures," said Joe Owmby, with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Early autopsy results showed Casey had a broken hyoid bone, which could be an indication that he suffocated or strangled to death. The hyoid is a horseshoe-shaped bone located near the windpipe that supports the muscles of the tongue. A broken hyoid bone is often found in strangulation victims, but Owmby said it's too early to make that call in this case.

"It indicates that force was placed against the hyoid bone and it broke. How that happened, I don't know, so that's why I'm not prepared to say whether it's consistent with strangulation because I don't really know what happened," he said.

Statements by the arresting officer and at least one witness did not mention force applied to Casey's throat during the fight.

Owmby is still reviewing the evidence and said he will meet with the medical examiners in the next few days to go over the autopsy results.

Casey's mother declined to comment Tuesday. She said she wants to see the official autopsy report first. It could be weeks or months before that report is made public.

Casey had a history of mental illness. His mother called Precinct 1 deputy constables to pick up Casey Friday. That's when they say he became combative.

In a statement Monday, the Casey family said they thought the Taser gun and struggle contributed to his death.