Oklahoma family given conflicting details of veteran’s death

TALIHINA, Okla. (AP) – The family of the second veteran to die at an Oklahoma Veterans Center says he almost died at the center beforehand because of a choking hazard that went undetected.
The Tulsa World reports the family of 70-year-old Leonard Smith learned from the newspaper on Friday that his death is under investigation by multiple state and federal agencies.
The Navy veteran’s family was notified of his death Tuesday evening by a nurse practitioner, who said his death was accidental.
Smith’s niece, Christine Cornwell, says the deputy director of the center called to inform her family Friday morning that the information originally given of Smith’s death was wrong.
Cornwell says the circumstances of Smith’s death are similar to an incident that occurred two years ago when her uncle allegedly choked on a piece of meat.

Information from The Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com