The coroner in the US city of Cincinnati says a struggle with police caused the death of black man whose beating was videotaped on Sunday. The coroner said Nathaniel Jones, 41, suffered obesity, heart problems and had illegal drugs in his blood. But he gave a homicide ruling, saying the stress caused by the struggle directly led to Jones' death. Police say they were defending themselves, but civil rights leaders accuse them of using excessive force. Sunday's incident started when police were called to a fast-food restaurant after reports that a man was being disorderly. Two officers were seen on the videotape hitting the man with clubs after he ignored orders to "stay back" and tried to punch one of the officers in the face. The officers knocked the man to the ground and struck him several times until they managed to handcuff him. The man was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead. **Racial tension*** Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott said Jones, who weighed 157 kilograms (350 pounds), suffered from an enlarged heart, and that cocaine and other drugs were found in his bloodstream. However Mr Parrott said the "underlying cause" of death was the struggle "engaged in by an overweight man with a bad heart". He added that the ruling should not be interpreted as implying inappropriate behaviour or the use of excessive force by police". Homicide rulings are issue when someone dies at the hands of another person. A police spokesman said the officers had been assaulted by a "very large man" and had acted in a manner "consistent with our training procedures". The incident comes almost three years after the death of unarmed black teenager at the hands of a white officer sparked race riots in Cincinnati. **Outrage*** Jones' family and civil rights groups have called for an independent investigation. They have criticised the authorities for releasing details of past convictions, and insisted Jones - who was nicknamed Skip - was a peaceful man. "Police talk about Skip like he was animal," his grandmother said. "But he wasn't. Skipper was just a good, old, fat jolly fellow." The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, Kweisi Mfume, also blamed police. "The sight of police officers repeatedly beating Nathaniel Jones with metal night sticks is sickening and appears well outside of the norm for subduing an unarmed suspect," he said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A video frame grab shows 41-year-old Nathaniel Jones falling backwards while being struck with nightsticks by two Cincinnati policemen, in this video released by the Cincinnati Police Department, December 1, 2003. (REUTERS/Cincinnati Police Department-Handout)